Awaken
by RebbieChan
Summary: BBS Spoilers. Becoming a knight under king Mickey and training with an unlikely master, Sora has found a way to give Ventus his heart back but forces of the Darkness have their own say in the matter. After KH2. Ven/Aqua, SoKai, Roxas/Nammine.
1. Prologue

So i might have some things a bit off but still there are some spoilers for those who don't already know or haven't beaten KH:BBS.

**

* * *

Awaken:**

**Prologue**

"Have you ever heard of a boy named Ventus?" Ansem turned to Sora.

"No, I haven't, who is he?" Sora asked. He had been called by King Mickey himself to come to his castle and the three sat in his chambers.

"He is your elder brother of six years." Sora's eyes widened in surprise. "He was kidnapped by Xehanort, the key blade master of Destiny Islands, at a very young age. Xehanort apprenticed him but when he was instructed to use the Darkness in his heart, Ventus refused. In rage, Xehanort unlocked the key to his heart and separated the darkness from the light. But without that part of him, Ven's heart began to die. He was brought back to the islands and his heart resonated with yours.

"With your heart, his own grew. His heart grew so strong that he gained the power of the key blade. But a time came when he needed to return to your heart and not long after he did you set out on your own journey to master the key blade.

"When you sacrificed your heart, it was actually Ventus's heart that was lost. Thus your Nobody Roxas is actually Ventus's."

"But then why did Roxas return to my heart?"

"Actually, Roxas was named wrong. Organization thirteen even thought for a while that he was your nobody. His real name is Euxsvt (yoo-x-vay)." King Mickey added.

Ansem glanced briefly at the king before continuing. "because he held part of your heart in his from all the time your hearts spent together. Now, though, your heart is full."

Sora glanced between Ansem and the king. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Ventus can have his own heart again."

"How? What about Roxas?"

The two stared at him, waiting for him to make the connection. "Roxas is Ventus's soul and he grew his own heart from your's once before, and now he is doing it again."

"Roxas- I'm mean Ventus- will be his own person?" Ansem and the king nodded. "That's great! I can't wait to tell Riku and Kairi-"

"Before you get too excited," Ansem's voice cut Sora short. "I have a word of warning for you. There are some people, aligned with the Darkness who will try to make Roxas leave your heart too soon. If this happen things will get…messy to say the least."

Sora nodded. "Okay, I get it. Is there anything I have to do?"

King Mickey stepped forward. "All you can do is make your heart stronger, Sora. I want to make you a knight of my order, you and Riku."

Sora blinked. "Re-really? That's….awesome, thank you!"

"You can go tell Riku and Kairi, we'll hold an official ceremony tomorrow." He watched as Sore turned and ran down the hall.

"That boy…I don't think he knows what he's in for." Ansem spoke softly.

"Mickey turned to his old friend. "Did you or I?"

Ansem smiled and shook his head. "If only."

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	2. The Delivery Boy's Apprentice

here we go

**

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Awaken**

**Chapter one:**

**The Delivery Boy's Apprentice**

"I know that I made you knights of my order, but still the both of you lack any real skill."

Sora sighed, acknowledging the truth. Riku growled in annoyance.

"Who knows when the worlds may need you again in the future? I need to make sure you'll be ready to fight when the time comes. You barely came out of the last battle alive."

"Riku, you know that King Mickey's right." Sora tried reasoning with his angry friend.

"Yes I agree with his decision to get us apprenticed." Riku spoke through gritted teeth. "But 'lack any real skill'?"

Bringing the Gummi ship to a landing, Sora wondered to himself if Riku was being apprenticed to teach him anger control. The thought made him chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Riku asked, but Sora wasn't listening. They had reached Radiant Garden. When Mickey first gave them this order, he had immediately thought of Leon. Leon was so cool and he could teach Sora so many things, that's why they had come here. Sora was going to ask Leon to be his Sensei.

Sora had asked Riku who he wanted to ask, but he simply said 'no one. I haven't met him yet, I'll know who it will be when I see him.'

"Sora! Riku!" Called a familiar voice. Leaping down from a building, Yuffie came into view. "What 'knightly business' brings you here?"

"Can it ninja, Sora's looking for Leon."

"Gotcha, I'll take you to him right away!" Yuffie gave a salute and headed off down the street. They followed in step behind her.

"Y'know…Hollow Bastion sounded cooler." Riku threw out the comment at random. Sora quirked his eyebrow at him. Yuffie twitched in annoyance. "I mean Radiant Garden? Where's the garden? I see a city."

"Y'know…" Yuffie started. "Your friend here is really annoying, Sora." Sora and Riku laughed.

Soon they came across the headquarters. They could hear Cid's loud voice from outside the building.

"-eels about you? It's not something you can just brush off, it's-" Cid broke off as the three entered. His eyes widened at the sight of them. Leon turned around to see what the problem was, his eyes met Yuffie's and the two pairs dropped to the floor.

Sora, oblivious to the tension in the air, smiled his goofy smile. "Hey Cid, Hey Leon!"

"Uh, hey Kiddo." Cid moved out from behind Leon. "What brings you here?"

"The King said that we need to be apprenticed." Sora explained, ignoring the annoyed 'tch' sound coming from his friend. "I was hoping Leon you teach me."

Leon laughed earning him a pout from the brunette keyblade master. "Sorry Sora, your not going to learn anything from me."

"What are you saying, I could learn so much!" Sora protested.

"Your strengths are here," Leon moved forward and poked Sora in the middle of his chest. "And trust me, I can't help you there." He walked past him and left the building. "Ask Cloud!" He called back with a wave of his hand.

Sora's hand lingered on his chest. "Cloud?"

* * *

"Yuffie gave you the wrong address." Riku muttered as the two of them found themselves at a bar.

"I don't know, maybe he lives here." There were apartments above.

"Or maybe he's a drunk and neither of us knew it."

"That too."

The later was proved wrong upon entering the empty bar. "Hello?" Sora called. "Anybody there?"

Tifa's head appeared from behind the bar. "Sora?"

"Tifa!"

She raised herself to her feet and placed a bottle of cleaner and a rag on the counter. "Isn't this a surprise!" Her hands fell on her hips.

Sora smiled. Riku awkwardly moved himself over to the corner. "Yeah, hey we're looking for Cloud, is he here?"

"For once. He's in back." She motioned for them to follow her. A hall in the back of the bar led to a stairwell and a door to the backyard. A young boy will long brown hair ran in through the door carrying a baseball bat.

"Tifa! Tifa guess what?" He was practically bouncing with excitement.

"What is it, Denzel?"

"Cloud says my swing's gotten way better!"

"That's great!" She ruffled his hair. He blinked and stared at Sora and Riku as if just noticing they were there.

Riku noticed a picture hang on the wall of Tifa, Cloud, this kid and a girl. He wondered if Tifa and Cloud were their parents. Sora, of course, didn't make the connection.

"Who are they?" Denzel asked.

"These are Sora and Riku, friends of mine and Cloud's." At that moment Cloud walked in, putting his phone in his pocket.

"You want to be my apprentice?" Yuffie must have called. Sora nodded. "We have a spare bed in Denzel's room."

Sora's face lit up. Denzel had a look of horror on his. "But you were going to apprentice me!"

"Sora's not going to be a delivery boy, Denzel." Tifa explained softly. "And you still have a few years left before you turn thirteen."

Denzel crossed his arms. "Alright, I guess."

"Oh! But what about you Riku?" Sora asked.

"I'll spend tonight in town before I start looking for my master." Riku shrugged.

Sora didn't see why Riku couldn't just find someone they knew but if he wanted to do things that way then he would. Either way he was excited about what Cloud could teach him. He couldn't wait for tomorrow. What exciting things would they do?

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	3. Ventus 001 Sky

these chaps will be every other. like in the game you find logs or notes, that's kind of what this is

**

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Awaken:**

**Ventus 001:**

**"Sky"**

Master Xehanort got news that a boy was born on the islands today. I don't know what being Keyblade master has anything to do with it, but he always is told about this kind of thing. When someone dies, is born, comes of age…I'll ask him sometime.

It bugs me. He never lets me come with he when he returns. If I'm going to be the Keyblade master next, shouldn't I go with him?

So he left to go check the kid out, I guess he goes to see if the child has potential like I did to be a master. I don't know because I'm the only kid apprenticed to him so maybe that's not what it is. But when he came back he was acting weird. Maybe the kid had potential.

He said stuff like "Did I get the wrong one?" and "The profasee (It was a big word I didn't know it) said the boy named 'sky' but there are two!" I wonder if he refers to me and that boy.

I looked it up and my name means "Sky". The boy was named "Sora" it means the same thing.

Does he want that boy to be his apprentice?

I'm his Apprentice.

I always have.

What does that kid have?

What if he is what he wants?

But I'm better than a baby.

Why should I worry about some baby who can't even walk or talk?

But I guess I still am.

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	4. A Family

**Chapter Two:**

**A Family**

"Hey," the boy's voice echoed in the silence of his dark room. "Hey, Sora! Are you sleeping?"

_Not anymore._ "No." Sora whispered back from across the room.

"So since you'll be staying with us for now on, are you going to be my brother?" Sora could see Denzel's eyes light up.

Sora smiled. "If you want!"

"Oh! And don't tell Cloud but can you teach me baseball? He's no good at it."

"Sorry, I've never played."

"Then I guess I'll teach you." It sounded like a nice offer until Sora heard Denzel mutter under his breath "Some big brother."

What was a big brother supposed to be like? Sora grew excited at the thought. He would have his back soon. Especially now that he had a mentor. He was one step closer to getting stronger, one step closer to bring his brother back.

Sora spent his night dreaming of what his brother would be like.

* * *

"But Cloud-"

"_Sensei_," Cloud corrected.

"_Sensei_, Shouldn't we be sword training or running laps or _something?_" Sora complained.

"Putting up flyers is something." He handed Sora a stack of twenty flyers for "Cloud's Delivery Service" before adding, "Be back by noon." Cloud kept a stack for himself and left the bar.

Sora sighed and resigned himself to his boring task. It wasn't until he went to put the first one up that he noticed what was on them. It was a plain white background with the slogan: "Need something delivered? Call Cloud". He couldn't help but laugh, these were definitely made by his mentor.

After putting up his final poster, a red-headed man in a black suit spotted him. "Cloud's hiring?"

The guy reminded Sora of Axel. "Not really, he is my mentor though."

He took one of the pull tabs from the poster. "If I ever feel like bothering him." The man said, waving it over his head as he walked away.

* * *

"Do you know anyone with bright red hair like this?" Sora flailed his hands over his head, trying to signify spikes.

"Reno." They walked side by side down the street of a shopping district. Heading…somewhere. Cloud hadn't said. Sora hoped it was a place to eat, he hadn't had lunch yet and his stomach continued to growl with protest.

"Did you make those posters yourself?" Sora asked, even though he knew the answer just by looking at them.

"Tifa copied them and made the pull tabs." So all Cloud did was made his terrible black bolded slogan on white paper. Sora had to still his laughter again.

Cloud turned to enter a shop and Sora followed….and stared inside with awe. This shop was filled head to toe with weapons of all kinds.

"Cloud!" The store keeper started from out behind the counter at the back. "I just finished ordering those buster swords you requested!"

"Thank you," Was all he said in response.

The shopkeeper glanced down at Sora. "Now, who's this?"

"I'm Sora!"

"He needs gloves and biker's goggles." Cloud explained.

"I have just the thing."

Thirty pairs of goggles later, Sora was fitted with a pair just like Cloud's only smaller and a pair of jet black leather fingerless gloves.

When they got home Denzel told him that it was Cloud's way of saying "Welcome to the team". He held a bat at the ready.

The back yard was the size of Cloud and Tifa's bedroom and Sora would have been afraid of the ball flying out if it wasn't for the large wall around it. The wall itself was one story (for privacy according to Denzel).

Sora tosses the ball towards him. Denzel hit it and it came flying back. Right at him. "Ahh!" Sora fell backwards upon the impact of the ball to his face.

"You're supposed to catch it dummy!"

Tifa called out the window at them. "Dinner's ready!"

The two rushed inside to get to the table only to be sent to the sink to wash their hands.

At dinner they laughed and talked about their day. Tifa had to settle a bar fight, Denzel did well on a math test, Marlene played with her friends after school.

"Cloud and I tried to attract business." Sora added and Cloud nodded in agreement.

It turns out that Denzel is an orphan and Marlene's dad was often away. Still this group was like a family and Sora was glad to be a part of it.


	5. Ventus 002 Brother

Ventus 002

Brother

I asked Master about the Sora boy. I said: "Is he going to be apprenticed with me?" He says it is a possibility.

That gets me really excited. Another kid to train with, and to share chores of course. Oh wait...Sora's a baby...he can't do chores...

Well, he'd do them eventually.

Anyway, I was looking into the destiny island's record book. It's this huge book full of family trees and important events, It can tell you how many crops were produced in a year. So yeah, it's pretty awesome.

But I was looking at the family trees, because i think it's neat, and I saw something really weird. I saw Sora's name right next to mine. this means we're brothers.

Brothers! I have a brother! Now I really want him to be apprenticed like me.

So I know I'm not supposed to visit the Islands but I thought that if I went at night and didn't get seen it would be okay.

I put on a dark cloak and went off to see my baby brother. And boy was he cute! He had big blue eyes just like me, and his little face scrunched up and his cheeks were chubby! I love that little guy. I decided that no matter what, I'll protect him.

One day I'll become the Keyblade master and keep him safe from everything.


	6. Training

**Chapter three:**

**Training**

Night had fell and Sora stood outside with Cloud, holding his keyblade in hand. "Show me your fighting stance." He was finally starting to act like a mentor. Doing as he was told, Sora squatted down with his feet far apart and held his keyblade in both hands at his waist.

Cloud shook his head. Sora was about to ask what he did wrong when he spoke again. "Now," He thrust his sword into the ground. "Come at it as if it were an enemy."

Narrowing his eyes he swung his arms back in an arc to gain momentum as he brought them down again, taking a step forward in the process. He swung forward and up, taking another step, and let go with his left hand. Finally, he stepped forward and swung his blade semi-horizontally.

A loud clank filled the air as his body resoundly shook from hitting the solid steel. Sora staggered back and dropped his keyblade.

"You have never received and training of the blade before have you?" Cloud asked.

"No." Sora answered, shaking his head to rid himself of the jarring sensation.

"Your problem is that you put to much weight into you're swing." He explained. "If you thrown you're whole body into an attack it makes your enemy's counter-attack child's play."

Sora frowned. Cloud waved him over.

"Come at me this time."

"But you're not armed-"

"I'll be fine."

Sora shrugged and went after him. just as he brought his blade down, Cloud sidestepped and lightly pushed on Sora's back. He flew face first into the dirt. "Hey! that wasn't fair!"

"Prove me wrong."

He picked himself up and started after Cloud but his mentor ducked and bumped him in the chest as his right hand swung over his head and left flailed out to the side. Sora staggered back again and fell on his butt. "So what do I do?"

"Find a sturdy stance."

"How?"

"Practice." Cloud smiled. "Try again."

* * *

"Well, see, you can't put you're whole weight into it." Sora relayed his information he had learned the night before to Denzel.

"That makes sense..." Denzel pondered this, throwing his baseball up an catching it.

"Sora!" Marlene ran out to them. "Cloud has a job, you have to go to!"

"Oh!" He followed her in and grabbed his biking goggles from the counter as he made his way out front.

Cloud, already on his motorcycle, threw him something. Sora caught the bundle and unfurled it. It was Cloud's old traveling cloak, the one he wore at the Colosseum where they met. "Hop on."

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so one more sora chapter before i switch over to riku for a bit, then it'll be back to sora and the real excitement will begin!


	7. Ventus 003 Odd

**Ventus 003:**

**Odd**

Master Xenhonart is a great teacher but sometimes I just don't get it. He sends us farther and farther away from the islands that we are supposed to be protecting.

I never bothered to wonder why I wasn't allowed to be seen on the islands when I was younger, I even followed through on that day when I met Sora four years ago. Now I do wonder, and I'm not stupid enough to ask Master. He doesn't like questions like that.

Maybe he's avoiding the questions. Maybe we're not allowed on the islands. But if so, then what is the job of the keyblade master? What's our true purpose?

I know that Master is trying to do what's best for me. I know he tries.

I know something else though, something odd is going on here.

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Ventus is now 10, yay!

anyway...

Please review!


	8. The Worlds as We Know Them

**Chapter Four:**

**The Wolrds as We Know Them**

"Where are we taking this?" Sora shouted over the roar of the engine and the wind in his face. He held the tiny box between him and Cloud.

"Amestris." He could barely hear Cloud's answer.

"But isn't that in a different world?" It wasn't like they were riding a Gummy ship.

"Yeah."

Or maybe they were.

It surprised Sora even more when he found out that any vehicle could travel between worlds. "Why is that?"

"Not long ago all the worlds were one."

"But that doesn't make any sense!"

"Twenty years ago they were one but darkness came and broke them apart."

Sora pondered this until they reached their location. They handed off the small package to a Colonel of that world's army. Inside was cloth that he used to make special fire starting gloves. The man thanked them, paid them, and they were on their way again.

When they got home Sora began writing a letter to the king.

_Dear King Mickey,_

_Cloud told me that the worlds were once one. Is this true? Can you explain it more to me? and does it have something to do with being the keyblade master? Also, do you know where Riku is and who is training him?_  
_From, Sora_

_

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_

So yeah i know this is really short but i didn't know what else to add.

Please review!


	9. Ventus 004 That Man

**Ventus 004:**

**That Man...**

A man came to visit. He is strange, but appears to be friends with master Xehanort. He wanted to go to the islands and live there with his daughter. The girl, Kairi, is four. That's the same age as Sora. Master explained to the man that his daughter could go, but he could not. Apparently he had been banished. It sounds kinda like what we are.

So instead the man sent his daughter there by herself. I wonder if she'll meet my brother.

That man is not liked by the people who live on the islands, but he is friends with the protector of the islands.

I don't think Master is liked either. Why else would we, the people sworn to protect them, be un-allowed to see that land we fight for?

I don't know if I should trust him anymore.

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Please review!


	10. The Man in the Tower

Chapter 5:

The Man in the Tower

Riku wandered through many worlds, searching for just the right person to train him. He needed someone who had been through dark times and made their way out. Someone who gave into darkness, yet conquered it in the end.

People like that were hard to find.

This place he now came to was large and appeared to be abandoned, but he had travel all day and need a place to rest. It was a giant tower floating out into space, odd, yet convenient.

The tower walls were lined in machinery and technology. The further he went the corridors became more like rooms and buildings, almost like a city.

As he walked the lights flickered on, motion activated.

He felt a presence, someone else was there. He couldn't see anyone, he couldn't hear anyone.

It wasn't until the last second that he heard the draw of a blade from it's sheath that Riku ducked and drew his own.

With a clang their blades hit. He caught a glimpse of his attacker's hazel eyes and shock of red-ish hair. They both took a step back, but kept their weapons at the ready.

"How did you come here?" The man demanded.

"My ship, how else could I end up in a tower floating around in the middle of nowhere," This guy seemed pretty hostile, so why shouldn't he be hostile too?

"You have a ship that can go to space?"

"Sort of,"

The man eyed him suspiciously. "Are you an elf?"

"You mean like Santa's little helpers?" The man tilted his head to the side in confusion. "I don't even know what an elf is."

"Are you from Tethe'alla or Sylvarant?"

Riku shrugged. "Destiny Islands."

A look of understanding flashed across his face. "Oh, a traveler." He held out his hand. "Things were easier when all was one."

Confused, he took what he said as a greeting and shook his hand. "I'm Riku."

"Kratos Aurion."

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So yes, those who know Kratos from tales of symphonia will have a little extra background but you don't need to have played the game to get it.

Please review!


	11. Ventus 005 Digging

**Ventus 005:**

**Digging**

I wanted to know more...so I kinda broke the rules again. I told Master that I was going on a fishing trip when I was really going to the islands again. I had a good disguise this time and a good reason.

I looked up that man that came to visit. His name is Nemyer. He had been friends with my parents.

He was banished from the islands twenty years ago for a crime "So heinous that it should never be mentioned again". That's what the reports said.

What kind of crime could it be?

Worse then killing a person, worse then killing a bunch of people. But there was only one reported death in that time period of his banishment...

That person, was his wife.

Her paper say that she died of natural causes...

I'm not certain that it's the truth.

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Please review!


	12. Inherent Trust

**Chapter Six:**

**Inherent Trust**

Riku explained who he was but didn't tell him about his current mission. This man could turn out to be someone he could trust as a trainer, but the last thing he wanted would be to start out asking before knowing him.

"You know this 'keyblade master' then?"

"Yeah, Sora. He's my best friend."

"And you say you've fought with your own inner darkness?" Kratos asked.

"Yes, but what about it?" Riku already told him this and he wasn't a fan of having to repeat himself.

"Twenty years ago, well my world's time is a bit different but, twenty true years ago a prophecy spoke of 'the sky boy and his companion of darkness'." Riku narrowed his eyes. Kratos turned and waved for him to follow.

They came to a complex network of computers that lined the walls of one room. Kratos search through a few files before coming to the right one. The surrounding screens went black and a static-filled voice started to speak.

"_When land becomes lands and the Darkness grows strong, hearts will not waver. The Sky boy and his companion of darkness will rise from the waters and bring everything as one."_

"You think I'm this 'companion'?" Riku asked.

"It's possible," Kratos started, "from what you told me about your troubles." He paused and sized Riku up again. "But you don't want to be shrouded in darkness forever do you?"

"I want to be me again."

Kratos sat down and motioned for Riku to do the same. "Let me tell you a story another young man influenced by the Darkness."

-

Riku had found his man.

Kratos had overcome the Darkness at such odds, yet he still suffered for it. The man fought for his loved ones, ones that couldn't always be saved. He was experienced and powerful. He had learned from his own foolish past mistakes, just like him!

Riku felt a kinship with this man, a trust that he couldn't just ignore.

"Actually, I've been searching for someones who could train me, to be my Master." Kratos didn't need an explanation, he only smiled.

"I'd love to."


	13. Ventus 006 Trouble

**Ventus 006**

**Trouble**

Master found out. 'You should know by now that going to the island is forbidden!' is what he said.

Well yeah, for him.

He asked what I was doing there. I told him that I was practicing my stealth skills. I'm not entirely sure he believed me.

I hate not being able to trust my own Master. I need to find out what Nemyer did and if Master was involved. If he was…well I don't want to think about that.

I mean, he's like family to me.

Which brings up another point, how come I've never met my parents?

This all is getting to be too much. I'm scared. But I can't go back now, I need to know.

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	14. It's Not Easy

**Chapter Seven:**

**It's Not Easy**

Being an apprentice turned out to be different than he imagined. They were not always together. When they were, sometimes they said nothing at all. He wouldn't have it any other way. They were who they were.

Riku made it his mission. Kratos told him that his son didn't know that he was alive. He didn't even know what happened to his boy. It tore him apart, that much Riku could see. So, he would find his son.

From world to world he'd go, meeting some of the strangest and some of the most interesting people in search of that one.

While he couldn't do what Sora did, he helped out wherever he could. It felt great. He enjoyed doing it.

He had a good goal and was working towards it.

"You're in a good mood." Kratos commented after Riku returned from one of his sojourns. Riku only smiled and said he felt good too.

Things didn't go perfectly well, though. Riku still suffered from the influence of Darkness in his heart and in others.

"You can use it to your advantage, conquer the Darkness. Make it weak to the power of your heart." Whenever Riku came back, Kratos would be sitting on the edge of a walkway looking down at all the ones below.

Riku sat down beside him. "I'll try."

"And you will." Kratos added before they became silent, meditating side by side.

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Ew. That was painfully short.

next chap (non ventus) will be long and back w/ Sora. I promise an awesome battle, just wait it may take a while but I promise it will be worth it.

Please review!


	15. Ventus 007 Who I Am

**Ventus 007**

**Who I Am**

I'm not like them.

I know what he did and I...I can't believe it.

And Master has the ability to stop it, so why hasn't he?

There's something wrong with them.

Why? Why would anyone do something like this!

I have to stay calm and think. It's been a year since Nemyer first came to stay with us and now we have completely left the islands. Completely left our world!

When we left the other day we went on a ship, a big dark ship full of dark monsters that seem to try to take my soul away from me. Those monsters attacked any other ships, harmlessly traveling by!

And Master was allowing it!

Those people could be good! But he wouldn't know because he's to busy chatting it up with his 'old buddy'.

So now we're going to a world called "Castle Oblivion". Yeah, a castle. A castle is not a world!

I'm so angry. I hate it.

I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it! I hate it! I hate it! I hate it!

I shouldn't be here. This isn't me!

I wish I never overheard anything. I wish I was never chosen to be a keyblade master.

If Master isn't being a real keyblade master, then what about me? What am I? What have I been doing?

And then there's that prophecy, either about me or my brother. I don't even know what the prophecy is!

Am I supposed to be bad? Is that what it foretold?

I don't want to be. I want to be me, I want to be a kid! I want to protect people!

Not control them! Not steal their Hearts!

I'm not that person. I'm_ not_ going to be.

* * *

I think that's the longest Ventus log i've had. cools. So yeah epic battle next time. Stay tuned.

Please review!


	16. Fade

Nemyer is pronounced Neigh-mee-yeh-er

**

* * *

Chapter Eight:**

**Fade**

The pitch-black night sky rippled with the occasional purple discoloration caused by the light of the storm. Sora pulled his cloak up higher over his chin. Cold wind ruffled through his hair as he adjusted his goggles.

He stood atop a tall building, facing another. All was black in this night except for the white clock face that seemed to glow on the huge building before him. It was a mansion, he knew because he had been here a few days ago on a delivery with Cloud. At that time he found out who owned it.

His name was Nemyer. He was Kairi's father. And his mansion held the largest mass of Heartless in all the worlds.

Sora summoned his Keyblade and eyed the ground below. "Here I go." He muttered.

With a leap he was in the air, rapidly becoming closer to the ground. Landing on an awning, he quietly slipped down into the plaza.

Little yellow eyes filled the pillared walkway from where he stood to the fountain in the middle. He didn't want to fight that many and then fight through more through the mansion and then possibly Kairi's dad. Stealth was his best option.

His cloak came in handy, it blended him in with the blackness around him. He darted behind pillar after pillar, getting closer toward the front doors.

But the fountain didn't have the protection of the pillars. Sora tried to make a dash for it only to have a mass of yellowed-eyed monsters chase after him. He turned to face them with a back-stepping hop and threw his keyblade at the mass. Upon sight of the blade piercing through the first few ranks of heartless, Sora turned and made a break for the door.

Skirting and dodging past the lower Heartless that had given him so much trouble when he originally obtained the keyblade, he barreled forward. Re-summoning it he pointed it at the front door, unlocking and opening it before he smacked into the wood. Sora skidded to a stop just inside, the huge wooden doors slammed closed.

His rapid heartbeat slowed, leaving him in relative silence.

Sora gazed around the hall. White marble floors reflected the colorfully painted ceiling depicting a huge world map that he hadn't seen before but yet seemed familiar. Two large oak doors, one to the right and the other left, had ornate decorations framing them. One, he knew, led to where Nemyer worked and held business. The other Sora didn't know, but he could feel overwhelming Darkness coming from it. A great marble staircase stood across from him, to Nemyer's quarters.

He gripped the handle of his keyblade and started up the staircase. The sound of his shoes against the floor echoed eerily through the empty hall. His eyes still hadn't gotten used to the shock of going from complete darkness to this pure white and he blinked and rubbed his eyes.

_Click. Clack._ A near-silent swish of a cloak. Sora stopped on the landing, midway from the bottom and the top of the stairs, and looked up.

Black combat boots, lack uniform pants, black uniform shirt with many shiny golden buttons, a long black cloak, a strong chin, hazel eyes hidden behind spectacles, greying red-ish hair, and a smile. "I wondered when I'd meet his brother." He spoke in a friendly, yet oddly disturbing tone. His voice was just a little too soft.

"Are you Nemyer?" Sora called up to the man standing at the top on the staircase. Out of the window behind, the moon crept out from behind a storm cloud.

"I am."

"What reason do you have for keeping all these Heartless here?" Sora demanded.

"You don't like my servants?" He wore a look of feigned innocence. "The last keyblade master of your world didn't seem to mind."

"I don't particularly enjoy Heartless chasing after me in the middle of the night."

"Sora," he was a bit surprised to hear his name. "there's no need to act so hostile." The more he spoke the less Sora wanted to trust him. Nemyer sighed, "just like your brother."

"How do you know Ventus?"

"How do _you_ know Ventus?" He countered.

"The king told me."

"Of course that rat did," his eyes flashed with anger for a moment before returning to normal. "then did he tell you about me?"

"I know that you're Kairi's father."

Nemyer smiled. "Than you know nothing."

"So...your not her dad?"

"I'm her father, yes."

"Ha!" Soar exclaimed. "Then I do know something!" He pointed an accusing finger at Nemyer.

"I meant relatively, you relatively know nothing." Sora just gave him a confused look. "Definitely not as smart as him." Nemyer muttered. the stared at each other silently for a moment. "Fine, I'll tell you a little bit about him and I," he set his hands down to rest on the hilts of his two blades, just now being revealed. "I'm the reason he was chosen at birth and taken from his home. The reason you never met your big brother and never even knew he existed."

"How could you-!"

"Oh an that's not the worst. I'm the reason you have a job as keyblade master," Before he finished speaking Sora was already charging up the stairs towards him, Keyblade raised high in ready to swing. "the true king of Darkness!" Sora just reached him, about to swing, when Nemyer drew his blades out in a strike.

Sora jumped, flipping backwards. But the old man was fast. Before he landed, Nemyer swung with his right and followed with his left. Guarding, Sora was pushed backwards with the force of his attack. He adjusted his grip before charging in again.

Metallic clang after clang, they exchanged blows. Nemyer seemed to manipulate Sora's keyblade with the fluid movements of his swords. Sora would strike and he would swing, catching underneath Sora's keyblade and pushing it to the side. It would leave him wide open, but Nemyer would never take that initiative to strike.

Was he _playing_ with him?

Like a dance, they rotated around each other until they stood opposite of how they started. Then Nemyer stared pushing him back. Every hit jarred his muscles, straining them more than when he sparred with Cloud.

The earsplitting sound of metal scarping metal caused him to squint as Nemyer manipulated his Keyblade in an arc, high over his head.

The man leaned in and smiled.

Sora didn't even notice the pain of Nemyer's knee slamming into his stomach until he hit the glass.

Like falling into a pool of water, the glass shattered around him.

For a moment, just a tiny moment, Sora felt like he was floating. Then he was falling. He hit the ground with such force that he barrel-rolled backwards for a good twenty yards. Sora caught a blurry sight of Nemyer leaping down after him. It was then that he realized they were on a lower roof of the huge building.

Sora sat up and shook his head. The roof was tiled and flat, made for walking on.

He was dizzy. He couldn't see straight. Some of his cloak had ripped from skidding across the roof.

He couldn't think.

Neymer started forward...or had he already been moving towards him? "So, how have things been on the islands since I've been gone?"

"I don't know, I haven't been home." He shakily brought himself to his feet. "I have too important of a job to be home."

"How about Kairi?"

"She's fine!" Sora shouted as Nemyer came straight at him. "Fira!" The burst of flame hit Nemyer at point blank range and sent him flying back.

When the smoke cleared, Sora saw him raising his blades into the sky. The clouds swirled in the air above him, turning purple as blue lightning cut through the sky. Sora took a step back.

"Thundaja," His spell could barely be heard over the lightning that crackled like the loudest fire in the world.

Sora didn't need to glance at the sky to know to run. The ground shook and Sora stumbled as he ran. The sound was deafening.

He leapt forward to avoid the second bolt. He needed cover.

The mansion had a tower further down, opposite of the main entrance. A roofed walkway stretched between the two far above his head. In the middle of the walkway there was a gap. Sora understood why the clouds behind the mansion flashed with purple when he first came. Electricity, at least that's what it looked like, in spherical shape floated in the empty space in the middle of the walkway.

It would either be a good or a really bad idea to head up there.

Sora didn't have a choice, Neymer's spell chased him towards it.

"Aero," The blast of air sent Sora running up the far wall. He heard Nemyer swear as his lighting cracked down, blowing tiles off of the tower's roof.

Sora leapt from the roof to swing into a window on the walkway. Nemyer followed suit, leaping up along the wall with the broken window and breaking into the walkway.

His form looked disoriented from the ball of energy between them. Through the film, he looked like a demon.

The man blew open another window, swinging onto the roof. Sora eyed the ceiling as he heard his footsteps above him. They stopped. He just barely caught Nemyer's boot from the corner of his eye in time to react.

He protected his head with his arms and was knocked out the empty space that once was a window. Nemyer perched on the sill and grabbed Sora's legs, swinging him upwards and on top of the walkway.

Sora pushed himself to his feet again in time to bring his keyblade up to defend himself from Nemyer's attack.

He was just too fast.

He defended one sword, only to have the other come up towards him. Sora stepped back and the blade just grazed his cheek.

Sora was used to getting hit, thrown, beat, you name it, but he'd never been actually cut in battle. He panted and wiped the blood away. Closing his eyes to focus, he readjusted his grip. He needed to give this all he had.

Charging at that man again, their blades met once more. All of his strength went into every blow. They worked around each other, but Sora knew he couldn't keep this up. Hit after hit his muscles ached worse and worse. He was at the point of exhaustion.

"Hah," tired breaths came in loud gasps. His hold on Nemyer's blade slipped and the blunt side slapped him above his eye.

Warm blood trickled down his face.

Sora could barely lift his arms to defend himself. His keyblade fell from his hands and hit the corner of the roof, falling down below. Nemyer's elbow connected with Sora's chest.

He couldn't breathe.

His back slammed against the side of the other side's walkway's top slab.

Sora's sight flickered black and he caught a hazy glimpse of Nemyer's feet disappearing.

He fell forward through the ball of energy, expecting in his fading mind to feel pain but felt nothing. His front half hit the bottom slab of the walkway they had previously been on.

Sora felt himself slipping down. His sight faded, just catching the sight of familiar feet before completely going black.

"Sora!" Faintly…falling…down.

The last thing he made sense of was someone's hand grasping his arm, and pulling him up.

* * *

So, What did you think? Please review!


	17. Ventus 008 Difficult

**Ventus 008:**

**Difficult**

"It's a stress reliever," he says. It makes me more stressed. It pisses me off.

Those stupid black monsters with yellow eyes surround me and I am given a plain old normal blade. No matter how many times I hack away at them they don't go away.

"Only a Keyblade can defeat them,"

Then teach me how to use it!

I think he just doesn't want me poking around in his business anymore. That's why he has me spend hours on end 'practicing' against these things. They beat the crap out of me!

It's stupid. I hate it.

Since I can't beat them without the keyblade and Master won't teach me to use it, I'm going to learn how myself.

All I need to do is use my heart to summon it, that can't be too difficult.

I don't know why I never thought to do this before.

* * *

Please review!


	18. Pillar

**Chapter Nine:**

**Pillar**

Darkness surrounded Sora. He took a step backwards only to find that he wasn't in darkness, he was standing on his pillar. The bright stained glass depicting himself, he always found it a strange sight.

He heard a rumble and turned just in time to see a crack splitting its way across his pillar and a huge chunk broke off, falling down into the abyss. All of a sudden Sora felt cold.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

He felt so sore. Every muscle ached in ways he never knew they could. Sora opened his eyes and the initial brightness sent his head spinning. "Sora?"

Kairi! Kairi was here! Sora sat up straight in his bed, only to wince in pain. "Owww,"

"Silly, you need to rest still." Kairi helped him situate himself so that he was sitting up comfortably leaning against the pillows. He was in his room. His old room from the islands.

"How did I get here?" Sora asked, still a little dazed.

"I brought you back to the king's castle after you passed out." He glanced up to see Riku in the doorway. Riku kicked junk out of the way as he came to Sora's bed. "Your room is as messy as ever."

"How did you know where to find me? Or _to_ find me?"

"Well," Riku sat down on the edge of an old toy chest. "I had been meditating with Master Kratos when I received a vision." Sora and Kairi leaned in to hear the story. "I was in a dark space, standing on a circular stained glass image of myself. I looked out and saw another circular glass thing, it was higher up but further away. They weren't just floating there, it was like they were columns or something."

"Pillars!" Sora put in.

Riku nodded "Pillars." Kairi glanced between the two, the looks in their eyes were like fire. "Sora, you stood on the other one. You moved as if you were fighting something, but no one else was there. The glass seemed to dim and brighten again really fast, almost like a heartbeat."

Like a _heart_beat.

"I snapped out of it and Master told me to go find you. I rushed to Radiant Garden but you weren't there. Cloud said that you had wanted to check out this mansion and meet with this guy. I asked if the guy was dangerous and he said that he probably was.

"The both of us hurried to the place. We took the back door, hearing loud explosions or something-"

"Thunder," Sora corrected.

"Yeah, and when we got outside we were up on that walkway thing and there you were."

"Why do you think you got a vision of Sora?" Kairi asked.

"I learned something very important. There's a prophecy about Sora and I."

"What!" Sora laughed out loud "you _have_ to be kidding me!"

"It's true!" Riku glanced up and to the right before reciting what he had heard. "_When land becomes lands and the Darkness grows strong, hearts will not waver. The Sky boy and his companion of darkness will rise from the waters and bring everything as one."_

"Land becomes lands...Cloud told me that the worlds had been one twenty years ago." Sora couldn't believe this...it actually sounded legit.

"'Sora' means 'sky'." Kairi added. "And coming from waters...you guys were born here on the islands."

"So then that means-"

"Sora!" Riku was cut off by Sora's mother. She entered the room carrying a tray of treats, most likely for Riku and Kairi.

For the first time Sora felt bad about going off to different worlds and leaving his mother behind. For the first time, he remembered that she must worry about him.

"Hey mom," Sora smiled sheepishly at her.

"I bet you're hungry," For the first time, Sora realized how much he missed his mother. "I have lunch going downstairs."

* * *

This chapter was originally longer but there was sucha a natural break that I had to upload the two seperatly.


	19. Ventus 009 Keyblade

**Ventus 009**

**Keyblade**

It has so much power! The Keyblade is no-doubt the best weapon ever created. It's made from heart, made from love, the strongest emotions humans have. Some may use anger or hate to feul their blades and some use joy and love.

At first I didn't know what to think of, y'know to bring it out. But then I thought, why do I want to be a keyblade master? I thought for a while.

Because that's what my master wanted.

Because it would make master proud.

Because I would be proud.

So I could protect my island.

So I could protect my brother.

I could protect people I love. It's a wonderful feeling.

But it makes me sad. How tormented could a person be to use the keyblade out of hate?

* * *

Please Review!


	20. Emotion

**Chapter Ten:**

**Emotion**

"-let him go there! When that's exactly what the enemy wanted!" Ansem's voice boomed and echoed up through the stairwell as Riku and Kairi helped Sora down the stairs. "The whole reason of getting the boy apprenticed was to avoid this!"

They were talking about him. Sora shifted, indicating for the other two to wait.

"You go on about this," it was Cloud, "but if that's truly what you wanted, why didn't you tell me before!"

"It should common sense to not allow him to go to such a place, and by himself of all things!"

"How am I supposed to know who the Hell that guy is!" Cloud was pissed. "I wasn't a part of this whole thing before!"

"Yo-" Ansem started.

"Do you think I wanted this to happen! Do you think I don't already feel like crap about this!" There was a loud bang as if he hit his hands down hard on the table. "And what are you doing, letting him be your mouthpiece? I thought you were King and not him!"

For a while there was a silence. Then Cloud spoke again, this time more calm. "He may be your Keyblade Master, but he's my apprentice."

Riku continued down the stairs again, taking Sora with him. The three of them awkwardly entered the room, trying to act as if they didn't hear their argument. It was uncomfortable. Cloud, the King, and Ansem all sat at the table practically glaring at each other.

Sora's mom passed out sandwiches and took a seat at the table. "Now that we're all present and conscious," the king started with his goofy chuckle, "we can go over what to do from here."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"Remember how we said that some allies of the Dark will try to get Roxas to leave your heart too soon?" Ansem asked. Sora nodded in response. "Well, that's just what Nemyer did."

"Roxas is gone?" Sora's hand went over his heart, where he assumed his other was kept.

The king chuckled again, "He's still with you." Sora exhaled in relief and was met with a reassuring pat on the back from Riku. Kairi gave his hand a squeeze and smiled at him. While he recognized that warm smile, he found it difficult to find one of his own. Instead, he ducked his head and looked the other way.

"We have been following his progress of the machine you fell into," Ansem continued. _That was a machine?_ "While we do not yet know which it takes away, it's purpose is to remove emotion."

"Removing emotion weakens the heart," Cloud added.

"And could harm Roxas's growth." The King clarified.

"In other words," Riku was getting ancy with anticipation. "we need to get Sora to Ventus's body as soon as possible."

"Correct," Ansem nodded. He turned to Cloud, motioning for him to speak.

"First thing tomorrow morning Riku, Sora and I will head out to Castle Oblivion. We do not know if he has set up any type of enemy to face us but we need to keep in mind that it has been overrun with heartless for quite some time now. Expect a fight."

The soft sand molded around Sora's feet as he made his way down towards the beach. From here he could see the islands that he played on every day until two years ago. "Things sure have changed," Sora stared into the clear waters and saw his reflection rippling with the tide. _I remember when my reflection was my own._ In his eyes the waters grew dark and the sun's reflection dimmed to that of a moon. Staring into the waters, he saw Roxas staring back at him.

_I wonder what he feels about this, going from my heart to Ventus'._

What about Roxas? Was he...Sora's brother? His soul? But Roxas felt so real, like a person. Sora didn't know Ventus, so he couldn't tell what Roxas was to him.

-Sora!-

-What happened?-

Sora jumped and glanced around. Riku meditating further down the beach. Kairi sat under the shade of a tree, reading. It couldn't have been them . . .

-Are you listening?-

_Roxas?_

-Yeah. The other day I felt something strange. It's like . . . Something's missing.-

_That would be right. I feel into this thing that takes away emotions or something._

-That's not good.-

_Yeah. Uh, how are we talking anyway?_

-Hello? I'm, like, inside of you?-

_Oh, right._

-Namine noticed it too. The something missing. I mean in me, not in her. Does Kairi know about it?-

_She does._

-Well, better not let whatever's missing effect your love life!-

Sora rolled his eyes. "She's not my girlfriend."

"Talking about Kairi?"

"Wah!" Sora gave a startled shout and whipped around. "Riku!"

"Hahaha!" Riku laughed, "you should've seen your face!" Sora glared at him. "I'm only playing with you, Sora." He threw his arm over Sora's shoulder and turned him towards the islands. "Have you been to that cave anytime recently?" He asked. "If you do, I bet it will change your mind about that."

"My mind about what?" Sora struggled to get out of the headlock.

"A certain someone being a certain something."

Sora pushed him off. "You're weird, Riku."

"I guess it would be better to wait until after tomorrow," Riku said, "need to save our energy."

* * *

I guess I could have had this and the last chap together...oh well. Please Review!

Also I need your help! The Ventus Cahpters are going to stop soon and I was wondering if I should to Roxas chapters like that once they finish. Please tell me what you think!


	21. Ventus 010 Time

**Ventus 010**

**Time**

With the new found power of the keyblade I defeated those black monsters, or heartless as I have know learned their name. Master was so impressed! "You passed the test," he said!

Even that creep Nemyer said something about it! "To get to such a stage at this age, your plan worked Xenohort." Giving credit to him? Yeah right, I figured it out on my own! But still, I guess it's some form of praise. Anyway, then he said something about entering into Castle Oblivion to get to a graveyard or something.

Its almost time now. That's what they say. They've been going on about it pretty much all day. Naturally, I asked "Time for what?"

And you'll never guess what he said!

"Time for your final test to become a full-fledged Keyblade Master."

I don't care about anything else anymore! I'm going to be a keyblade master! Me!

Whatever this test is, I'll pass it and become the best Keyblade Master the islands have ever seen!

* * *

Please review!


	22. Oblivion

**Chapter 11:**

**Oblivion**

That didn't happen right. Sora couldn't shake the feeling.

They had been getting ready to leave. Cloud and Riku already started on the ship. He followed them but Kairi's hand brushed his. He turned towards her, "_Good luck," _she said. She looked at him as if expecting something from him. He nodded, but she seemed disappointed . . .

Disappointed? Sora felt that he should have done something too. He couldn't figure out what it was. What had she wanted? What had he wanted? _Did_ he even want it?

"Sora!" _Thunk!_ Riku laughed, "Boy, are you out of it."

"And that's why you hit me?" Sora rubbed he side of his head.

"No, idiot. We're here." The huge white castle stretched far above them, peaceful and yet strangely ominous.

"Always be on guard for any possible attack." Sora knew Cloud's words were not just a warning, but a reminder for him to not daze off.

He summoned his keyblade, readying it in case of attack.

He sure had needed it.

the second they open the doors to the castle, Heartless were everywhere. In the midst of it all was a lone figure cloaked in the organization XIII fashion, carrying two keyblades.

"Organization Thirteen?" Sora exclaimed, "I though we dealt with these guys already!"

The cloaked figure cut through the masses of heartless with ease and turned towards the three of them. "The King sent you?" It was a girl's voice!

Cloud stepped forward. "He did, along with the memory logs Namine recreated."

"Perfect," she slipped off her hood to reveal a head of short blue hair, bright blue eyes, and a smile that Sora knew.

"Mom?" Sora gasped.

She cocked her eyebrows and pointed at herself, "Does he mean me?"

Sora, Riku, and even Cloud were taken back by the resemblance. After an awkward silence of gaping, Cloud cleared his throat. "Master Aqua, this is the Keyblade bearer and my apprentice Sora," he motioned at each person in turn. "This is Riku, and I'm Cloud."

"Aqua?" Riku repeated, "So your the girl whose keyblade I gave to Kairi?"

She nodded, "Yes, as the King instructed you to do so."

"Wait, wait wait." Sora shook his hands in front of him. "What's going on?"

"That," Aqua smiled, "would be a long story."

"One we don't have time for now, nor know all the answers to." Cloud added.

Aqua waved them to follow her as she turned and headed down the great hall. "Ventus is sleeping back this way, I thought he would be safe here but since the Organization came here, this place has been full of Heartless." She led them behind a staircase into a back corridor. "So, I came back to protect him until he wakes up." They came to the end of the hallway at a door. "The cloak's just in case any Organization members don't attack me if they were to come back."

When she opened the door a wave of pain shot through Sora's head. Except it wasn't really a pain...more of a feeling. Anxiety, but not his own. _Don't worry Roxas._ Everything was going to be fine...right?

Aqua led them to the back of the room. There was a bed and a man laying in it.

The basics were all Sora could make out. His vision faded from the sight of a pure white room to complete darkness and back again. Anxiety, fear, dread, uncertainty, all these feelings fought their way into his own. _Was_ this Roxas?

Were these feeling his own?

He had no reason to feel that way. He didn't understand.

"Sora," he heard Aqua say, "place one hand on your heart and the other on Ventus's."

His hands shook but once he completed the motion, he was out.

* * *

Nothing. Sora blinked and he first noticed the black nothing all around him. He glanced down upon noticing the light impeding his view from that direction. His stained glass pillar...Sora smiled at the familiarity of the floor beneath him.

Something shifted beneath his feet. A loud rumbling shook the air. Sora stumbled backwards, but as he brought down his foot the floor beneath him cracked. The crack ripped across a section of the pillar, reaching the edge on both sides. He teetered on the edge of the chasm as the section of his pillar slid down into the darkness.

Sora stumbled forward, bewildered by the sudden chaos. As he rose, he noticed a light, far off in the darkness. It was another pillar. A body lay in the middle of it.

It felt like he couldn't breathe. For a moment, like a tiny convulsion, his body jerked forward. His body grew cold as a light moved out of him.

Sora took a step back and saw Roxas staring back at him. He was simply floating there in front of him.

"Roxas?" The nobody smiled at him and leaned back. He was floating away from him. "Roxas!"

Sora started forward but a pain in his chest stopped him. He sank to his knees in pain. "Roxas! Roxas!" He felt empty. Something he needed had left him.

Roxas floated to the other pillar and formed into the the body. Sora felt himself losing consciousness as the man on the other side stood up.

"Thank you, Sora."


	23. Ventus 001 Tomorrow

**Ventus 001**

**Tomorrow**

Today is the last day Terra, Aqua and I have together all as apprentices. I hope the both of them will be able to make it as Keyblade Masters. It's exciting! I wonder what their test will be!

Everything changes tomorrow.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the two-month break, I've been busy :/

Yeah I know, "Make your chapters longer if your going to have a break like that!"

Sorry again, I just haven't had much time.


	24. Ventus Awoken

**Chapter 12:**

**Ventus Awoken **

It happened again. His pillar was disappearing.

Sora opened his eyes to find that he was still in Castle Oblivion. He couldn't shake the ominous feeling of great loss that pained him. It wasn't even so much of a pain, but an emptiness so evident. Sora clutched his chest as he sat up.

"How are you doing," Riku bent down into his vision, "we didn't expect you to pass out like that."

Sora stared at him for a bit before turning his gaze back to the floor.

Everything was silent. Sora could see Riku from the corner of his eye and Cloud's boots from the other.

"Ventus!" Riku turned towards Aqua and left Sora's field of vision. It sounded like she was crying.

"Aqua?" His voice sounded familiar, a lot like Sora's only a bit lower.

Sora heard both Cloud and Riku rush to Ventus' side. Sora slowly stood up and turned, knowing that it was what he was supposed to do.

He looked like Roxas, except older. He was supposed to be six years older than him so that mean he was twenty-two. He wore a dazed expression on his face, barely sitting up with Aqua's arms around him. She hadn't seen him in six years.

Sora knew that he should feel excited or happy or _something_, but he didn't feel any of that. It was almost like he wasn't there, that he was simply watching things happen instead of being a part of it.

Ventus snapped out of his own daze and gazed at the faces staring back at him before finally resting of Aqua. "I'm back," he said with a small laugh and a smile. His bright blue eyes seemed to overtake the room and soon everyone was laughing and smiling.

Everyone but Sora, he tried to find a reason too, he tried to tell himself to, but he couldn't.

"Shouldn't we be getting back?" The happy group lost it's luster at the sound of Sora's voice. they turned to him, but it was Ventus that broke the awkward silence.

"You're right," he swung himself off the bed and dropped his arm over Sora's shoulders, "little brother."

The touch was so friendly, a brotherly notion. Sora glanced up at him and Ventus smiled big. He turned his eyes away.

Why wasn't he feeling the way Ventus did? Shouldn't he be happy that his brother was back?

But it felt strange. Some strange arm, some strange person, so familiar and yet so distant.

Maybe he was just tired, Sora feigned a yawn hoping that it made his thoughts more true.

Aqua handed Ventus one of her keyblades. "This one's yours," she said as he took it.

Ventus tested it out with a few swings. A boyish grin formed, "it's just the same. Thanks Aqua!"

Finally, it was time to go home.

* * *

A/n: A bit short, but I decided to cut this part into two...partially because I just want to uplaod as much as I can beofore I get another difficult class schedule next week and partially because of the log chapters.


	25. Roxas 401 Logs and Transfer

**Roxas 401:**

**Logs and Transfer**

When the King and Ansem met with Sora, I also had the chance to speak with them. It's a bit odd, but when Sora falls asleep, sometimes I can come out. They told me that they needed Namine to help recreate the memories Ventus had lost after his first awakening. The King had found old diaries from when he was a boy and hoped she could turn them into memories before he awoke again.

Once Sora woke up and I went back inside of him, I found Namine. It's easy because Sora and Kairi's hearts are so close, no matter how far away they may be.

She took up the job and work hard at it. She can be very dedicated once she gets started on something.

Sora began his training and every day I felt his heart growing stronger. But I knew that it was stupid of him to go after Nemyer. I knew about that man through Ventus' journals that Namine worked so hard on. I wanted to warn him, but before I got the chance he was there!

He already knew that he shouldn't have gone! How is it that my somebody has to be such an idiot!

Well...I suppose he's not my somebody...and Ventus is. It's weird. But I suppose I should be used to weird things by now.

Once Sora fell through that light, I feel it.

It was as if we had been distanced. I had something that he no longer did.

And then as he went to Ventus, it happened again. Inside his heart, Sora saw it breaking.

I believe I shouldn't have left him for his brother. From Ventus's eyes as saw Sora...he seemes to weak...so...

I don't know. Awakening Ventus was good but...I'm afraid things are not going as well as we had hoped.

* * *

A/N: I finally started writing an outline for this story! :D I've gotten through ch.18 in outlining and holy crap it gets good! :D So stick with me here guys! :D

as always, please review!


	26. Left Behind

**Chapter 13:**

**Left Behind**

Ventus stared in awe at the islands as their ship pulled in. He hadn't stepped foot on the islands in nearly fifteen years. Sora stared out at the islands too, he tried to imagine what Ventus could be feeling. He remembered how it felt to return to the islands with Kairi and Riku not so long ago, it had been so...relieving.

Now he felt nothing and wondered if that was okay.

Shouldn't he feel something?

"Sora!" he turned at the sound of Kairi's voice. She waved at them from the beach. "You did it!"

He forced a smile, knowing that he normally would have done the real thing.

The others must have heard the shouting and the ship's engine and came running out to the beach. The King, Ansem, and his mom.

They docked and for a while the group on the beach simply stared at Ventus, while the group on the ship stared at his mom. Then his mother's eyes drifted over to Aqua with a look of surprise.

Aqua laughed, breaking the silence, "your mom really does look like me!"

"Mom..." Ventus stared at her, trying to recognize anything about her.

"Ventus!" She ran forward and took the man into her arms. At first he stood rigid in shock, but then accepted her embrace and pulled her closer.

Even Riku and Cloud struggled to hold back tears. A son should never be away from his mother for so long.

She reached up and held his face in her hands. "You're all grown up now, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess," Ventus laughed.

"Miku," the King addressed the woman after some time, "would you like to let your son enter his home?"

She broke off, smiling happily. "Yes, we still have what was meant to be your room, Ventus."

The two groups converged on the beach and headed towards Sora's home. No one chatted along the way, they didn't need to. The joy radiated from each and every one of them and filled the silence.

Everyone except Sora.

He was angry. His brother, his long lost brother was home! He should be happy, he should be jumping for joy, but all he could do was be angry that he couldn't. He didn't even know why.

Then he remembered what Ansem had said before, that the light he fell through could have made him lose his emotions. He decided to bring it up once they arrived at his house.

The ten of them scrambled to find seating for all of them around the table. Once they finally all got situated, some sitting on boxes, Riku laughed. "It is really creepy how much you two look alike."

Both Aqua and Miku wore short blue hair with bright blue eyes, same body type, same everything except that Miku was obviously twenty-odd years older.

"Seeing as this was not the time we wanted to re-awaken you, how are you feeling, Ventus?" Ansem asked before Sora could speak up.

"Oh, I feel great!" He turned to Sora, "and it's all thanks to Sora!"

Sora opened his mouth to tell him that he had plenty of help from his friends but when he spoke, his thoughts suddenly turned for the darker. "That's wonderful that you feel so amazing on my suffering."

Ventus blinked. Everyone stared at Sora.

"Sorry, I meant to say that I think what you said before is happening," Sora muttered, "about emotions and stuff."

"Seems so," Ansem muttered.

"Emotions?" Ventus asked.

"The reason we had to return your heart early was because Sora fell through this light thing that steals emotions." Riku filled him in, "Kinda corny, huh?"

"To you," Sora snapped.

"Then how do we fix this?" Ventus asked.

"Ansem has a theory that if Ventus builds his heart up enough then he won't need Roxas anymore," the King started, "Then he could transfer Roxas back to Sora, reversing the effects."

"The problem is," Ansem continued, "If something similar happens to Ventus, then we're out of luck."

"So then just send some bodyguards with him wherever he goes." Cloud offered.

"Aqua?" Ventus turned to his old friend. "Care to be my bodyguard?"

"Of course," Aqua answered.

"Good," the King started, "Riku, Cloud, I want you two to stay on the islands to watch Sora, who knows what the effects could become and it would be best for you to stay with him."

* * *

A/n: Sorry, this chapter kinda sucks :/ I meant to have it finish on friday but my weekend ended up being a lot more busy than I thought.


	27. Roxas 402 Back and Forth

**Roxas 402:**

**Back and Forth**

What does he think he's doing! Oh, so now I'm just gonna pop back in to Sora! Ventus, isn't going to "need me" anymore! Well then what about Sora? What about when he doesn't need me anymore? What's gonna happen to me then?

So apparently it's all over if Ventus gets hit by this thing then it's all over. So yeah, send him out into the wild with only one guard, that's smart! What the Hell does the king think he's doing! Does he even know?

He's not taking action. He's keeping himself out of it an putting everything on Sora and Ventus. They don't deserve that kind of treatment. I don't think he understands, I don't think anyone understands what's going on. I sure don't! I've never known! I'm always in the dark.

And now he's keeping Sora and Ventus in the dark too.

* * *

A/N: Sorry it's so short after such a long time. I'll get more chaps up as soon as I can^^


	28. Filling the Holes

**Chapter 14:**

**Filling the Holes**

"This is stupid!" Riku complained, swinging his bag over his shoulder. "Why do I have to go too?"

"Because if your not training your body then you should train your mind!" Kairi answered, smiling and swinging her bag.

"We haven't been to school in years." Sora spoke in monotone. His mom had suggested that while they were home, they might as well attend school. The problem was, Sora and Riku hadn't seen any of his old classmates for year and more importantly they were two years behind their grade.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm pretty sure Cloud will still work Sora to the bone." Riku didn't hear Sora.

Cloud had decided to stay. It was strange because normally he was always moving.

"It's fine." Sora could see the school from the hill that they had finally came over.

"Cloud's just worried about Sora, he won't work him too hard, right?" Kairi nudged Sora.

"I don't know."

His two friends glanced at one another. He knew what those looks meant. It was annoying. Yeah, he was different, so what? It wasn't as if things were going to change, it was more like he was sick and just needed to wait until he got better. They didn't have to act as if he was a completely different person.

Things were confusing enough as they without everyone acting weird.

School was even weirder. Everyone had heard about Sora and Riku, the keyblade, other worlds, they regarded the two as heroes. A hero? Maybe...but it sounded weird. Sora didn't feel like a hero. He didn't feel like anything.

They kept going on about the possibility of going to other worlds. It made Sora think, why didn't anyone know about the worlds being one when it hadn't been so long ago that they separated?

"Why did everyone hide it from us kids?" Sora asked that night during supper. "That the worlds were once one?"

"We were forbidden to speak of it," Miku answered, "we didn't want people to know if no one couldn't ever leave the islands."

"What happened back then?" Riku and Kairi were at their homes, Sora was left there with Cloud and his mom.

"I only saw it happening, why it split is not known by anyone I've met." Cloud answered.

"It was because of someone I knew," Miku whispered softly. "Those were dark times."

"Who was it?" Sora asked.

"I'm forbidden to speak of it."

"Oh." That was lame.

* * *

The dark space began to light, he could see it forming from the corner of his eye. Sora turned on his pillar to see a red light. It bubbled from somewhere far below, encroaching upwards towards him. He jumped back as it spurted up like a geyser and poured into the cracks.

Sora wiped the red liquid off his face. It was warm and sticky and wouldn't come off.

The liquid began to solidify until his pillar was whole again, half red, half the stained glass he was used to.

"Sora!"

Sora blinked open his eyes. He had fallen asleep in the middle of class.

Riku laughed, "nice going, bonehead!"

"Shut-up!" Sora glared at him.

"Fine!" Riku grumbled, "see if I wake you next time."

Sora rolled his eyes. "See if I care."

But he really did care, about everything. His pencil broke and he threw it across the room, he got a paper cut and challenged the paper to a duel, he was...off the wall at best. Sora even knew that it didn't make any sense to act that way, but he couldn't help it.

Kairi had concluded that his emotional state was getting worse and that was why. It made sense, but they began to wonder how long they could keep up with him.

* * *

A/n: :D Please review! :D


	29. Roxas 403 Questions

**Roxas 403:**

**Questions**

Ventus and Aqua fought with some Heartless today and it got me thinking. Why do I have two keyblades? Ventus doesn't use two. I thought that the reason I had two might have been because he did, but it turns out he doesn't.

The only other person I've seen with two was Aqua, and she had just been borrowing Ventus's.

Why me?

Why do i even have a keyblade? I'm a nobody, I don't have a heart, so how can I wield a keyblade, the weapon of the heart?

I'm really bored. I can't talk to Namine anymore because Ventus's heart isn't close to Kairi's. It sucks. So all I can do is think and watch through Ventus's eyes.

I want to see Namine. I miss her.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for all the super short chaps :/

Please review!^^


	30. An Artificial World

**Chapter 15:**

**An Artificial World**

Ventus swung his blade through the air, testing his strength. "I guess I'm a bit rusty," he laughed and fazed his Keyblade away.

"That's to be expected after almost ten years of sleep, Ven." Aqua laughed too. They walked together down a forest path. For the past few days they had been staying at various inns, listening for any work they could do, any Heartless to take out.

Ventus stared at his hands. "It doesn't feel like it's been all that long." He glanced over to her. "Except that I'm taller than you now!"

"By only a couple inches!" Aqua protested, turning her head to shoot him a glare. Her eyes softened. It was good to have him back. It was good to know that one of her friends was still alive.

"Seriously, what did you do while I was out?"

"Protected you and kept you hidden." The sun was just breaking through the canopy of leaves. "Worked for the King, Fought Heartless."

"I was wondering, why do all the Keyblade masters work for the King?" She had been protecting him that whole time?

"Work with," Aqua explained. "While our job is to protect our land and the hearts of our people, that also entails making sure there is no corruption." She could see that he wasn't entirely getting it. "it's like how, for example, Beast and Belle are the rulers of their land, or in the current situation 'world,' a Keyblade Master would make sure they don't fall into tyranny."

"If their land is their's then why does everyone treat King Mickey as their King?" He had never learned any of these things yet in his training.

"King Mickey is the King of his land, which also encompasses many other lands like Belle and Beast's. His land is one of the largest and he is highly respected. This, though, is partially due to the fact that he is also the Keyblade Master as well as King."

"That's kind of confusing." Ventus rubbed the back of his head.

"That's politics!" Aqua laughed.

Ventus joined in. "I think I'll just stick with what I've got."

Aqua sighed, "but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do now that the Land of Departure became Castle Oblivion."

"Wait, wha-" Before he could finish, Aqua pulled Ventus into the bushes.

"Here they come!" She whispered. They had gotten a tip that someone was going around hiring out Heartless. That meant that someone had the ability to control Heartless and spreading them around was even worse.

"Aqua," Venuts whispered, "did you say that the Land of Departure became Castle Oblivion?"

"Yeah," She kept her eyes trained on the approaching men.

"But that can't be! Right before I lost my memory I met with you and Terra I had been taken to Castle Oblivion!"

"How many Largebodies again?" One of the men asked. Aqua waved for Ventus to keep quiet. They peered through the bushes to see the back of one of the men, the one that had spoken.

The man seemed familiar…the red hair, the build…Aqua gasped. She dug through her bag and pulled out an old wanted poster. The same guy was in the picture! "That's Nemyer!" She whispered.

That's where he had seen him before! It had been years, but Ventus knew it had to be the same guy. He shifted himself off of his knees into a low crouch.

"Ven, wait!"

But it was too late, Ventus jumped out of the bushes and into the path before Nemyer.

The aging man blinked, then smiled in recognition. "It's been a while Ventus."

Ventus fazed his Keyblade into his hands. "You'll pay for what you've done to my brother!" He charged Nemyer, ignoring the other man running off.

Nemyer caught Ventus's blade with his own, swiftly blocking and pushing him away. Ventus wasn't going to give in easily, he flicked his eyes quickly to meet Aqua's as she crept out of the bushes unbeknownst to Nemyer, and took a step forward, shooting out a horizontal slash.

Nemyer went to duck, but Aqua slid her foot into the back of his legs, knocking him over backwards. Ventus leaped and slashed downwards on top of the enemy as Aqua rolled out of the way and onto her feet. Nemyer barely blocked the attack with his swords forming a protective X over his chest.

Ventus flipped over him. Now they had him surrounded, Ventus on one side, Aqua on the other. Nemyer quickly raised himself to his feet, just as Ventus and Aqua came at him and he barely connected his blades with theirs.

A loud ring of metal on metal sounded and faded into silence. They stood there, Nemyer stretched between the two holding out against both of their strengths.

"Why are you here?" He panted, shooting a confused look at Aqua.

"What are you talking about?" She had never met him before in her life, she didn't know how he could have known her.

"But shouldn't you be-" he cut off and glanced at Ventus. "Shouldn't you be asking me something?"

"Like what?" Ventus spat, angry that the man could hold him off with only one hand.

"Like how she exists?" He nodded towards Aqua. "Oh? You didn't know?"

"Know what?"

He laughed. "About the Land of Departure, of course!" Ventus had no Idea what he was talking about and it made him laugh even harder. "You really didn't know that your Master and I created that world, just for you?"

"What are you talking about!" Ventus pulled back and struck again, only to have his blade meet Nemyer's again.

"When we found that you still had a heart we needed it to grow," he explained, "so we took you back to Castle Oblivion and created an artificial world, based off of your home Islands. We created her," he nodded at Aqua again, "Terra, your new Master and everyone else so that you could grow and form the X-Blade."

"You can't create a world! You can't create people! You're not a God!" Ventus glowered. He was about to strike again when he noticed Aqua stepping back.

"That's not true, Ven." She spoke softly. "A world was once created for a similar purpose, so Roxas's heart could grow and return to Sora."

Ventus stepped back, brining his free hand to his heart. _Is that true, Roxas?_

Nemyer smiled, a circle of Darkness forming under him. He dropped down into the Darkness and escaped.

* * *

**A/N:** I finally finished the outline to this story! :D That means it's going to be more focused from now on, and I'm really enjoying what I'm writing a lot more, so Hopefully you guys will enjoy it too!

Thanks for reading and reviewing!**  
**


	31. Roxas 404 That Means

**Roxas 404:**

**That Means…**

He asked me if it was true. Of course he wouldn't know, but it brings back bad memories.

Now I have to think and remember.

The world that was created for me was a direct copy of the people and land of Twilight Town. If the Land of Departure was a copy of the Destiny Islands then that would mean that it isn't a coincidence that his mother and Aqua look alike.

I don't want to tell Ventus, he holds Aqua very dear here in his heart. I don't know how he'd react to finding out that she is his mother.

I wonder then…who is Terra?

And…How does Namine fit into all of this? She's not a nobody, so why is she in Kairi's heart? It's been bugging me for a long time.

I'm going to ask Ventus to try to find out more. I need to know because if she isn't a nobody then she shouldn't have to live like one! I hate this! I hate not being able to do anything! I can only see and hear and think with out Kairi's heart and Namine nearby.

She's not a nobody. She shouldn't have to live in this hell.

* * *

**A/n: **Thanks for reading and reviewing! :D


	32. Mixed Feelings

**Chapter Sixteen:**

**Mixed Feelings**

"We need to find out more about the Land of Departure," Ventus insisted, following Aqua as they came to the closest inn. "That way we might be able to learn something about Nemyer or Xenhort."

Aqua stayed silent. Ventus knew that she was trying to think, but he still wanted her to give him some recognition.

"We'll have a room for two, separate, one night." Ventus told the innkeeper.

The owner caught the look on Ven's face and laughed, "Not lucky enough, huh?" He nudged Ventus and nodded towards Aqua. "Separate, I'd be disappointed too."

Ventus blushed. "Oh, no, it's not like that!" He protested waving his hands back and forth as if he could bat away the words.

"Ven," It was the first thing she said to him since Nemyer had escaped. "I have to ask you something." She made it obvious enough that she didn't want anyone else to overhear what she wanted to say.

The innkeeper laughed again and nudged him forward, "Go get her, tiger!"

"It's not like that!" Ventus protested again, but the man just continued to laugh. He sighed and shook his head, meeting up with Aqua to head up the stairs.

"What was so funny?" Aqua asked, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

"Nothing." Ventus shook his head. "It wasn't funny." He turned the corner on stopped at the first door on their right. He opened the door and held it open for her, noticing that she hadn't grown taller in the past ten years it was just him who had grown. It used to be that the top of his head just came past her shoulder, but now it was the other way around. "You know what?" Ventus asked, pulling the door shut behind him. "You're kind of tiny."

Aqua glared at him. "After all this time I've stopped Terra from picking on you for being the little one, you call _me_ 'tiny?'" She sat down on the closest bed and crossed her legs.

"That's different, I was a growing young man, it hurt my pride." He stuck his chin out, mocking hurt feelings. Normally Aqua would laugh, but she still was too busy thinking to really notice him. "What's wrong?"

She dazed out at her hands in silence for a while before sighing and leaning back, placing her hands as supports behind her. "I was thinking about Terra."

_Oh._ Ventus lowered his gaze to the floor.

"I want to go to the World That never Was, where Xenhort- I mean Xemnas had his base."

"His body isn't going to be there." _He isn't going to be there._

"I know," She re-crossed her legs, switching which one was on top, "but I have a feeling My old armor will be there. I think the King told me he saw it or something."

"Okay," Ventus didn't want to talk about Terra, unless they were talking about the good times they had together. He didn't want to think about the loss. So, he changed the subject. "but after that I think we should head back to Destiny Islands, to learn more about how they're connected to the Land of Departure."

"Sounds like a plan." Aqua barely finished her sentence before pulling her shirt off over her head, revealing the undershirt than she slept in underneath.

Ventus adverted his eyes. She could at least warn him, _It's not like I'm a kid anymore._ He moved towards the farther bed, stripping off his own shirt. There were other things he noticed other then their difference in height. He sat on his bed, his back to hers' and kicked off his shoes, his face reddening.

Aqua was beautiful.

"Hey, Ven," He heard the springs of the bed creak as she flopped down.

"Yeah?"

"It's good to have you back."

He knew she was lying there, looking at him. Maybe she expected him to look back. He was about to let her see how red his face had gotten. "Uh, yeah. It's good to be back."

* * *

Ventus didn't like it. The only light came from a few neon signs that dotted the streets. He could feel Roxas's anxiety about the place and it mixed with his own. Aqua had already phased her key blade to her hand and Ventus did the same.

He felt as if there should be Heartless everywhere, but there was nothing. The only life present was him and Aqua.

-_It was a home of Nobodies, did you expect to find life?-_

Ventus smiled. _I guess not._ It was weird having another person living inside of him, but it was also kind of comforting.

Aqua led the way to the castle, he didn't bother to ask how she knew where to go.

_Hey, Roxas, you used to live here right?_ He turned his thoughts inward.

_-Yeah, for almost a year.-_

_Anything I should know?_

_-Aqua seems to know where she's going. I think the King told her where he spotted the armor.-_

Ventus could feel Roxas's emotions switch to something more sad. _Do you miss them?_

_-Nobodies don't have Hearts, you know? I only had one friend, if it could even be called that.-_

_That doesn't answer my question, do you miss them?_

"Here it is." Ventus hadn't been paying attention, so he was surprised when Aqua spoke and he glanced down to see her armor lying in the corner of the room. "It's kind of funny that he would have kept it for so long."

He stared down at the armor that his Master had kept while wearing the body of his friend.

Ventus didn't know how to feel.

"Yeah, it's a bit strange."

_-Well…Do you miss him?-_

Aqua stared at it. "It makes you wonder if he wasn't all the way gone, that maybe a little of him was left inside with Xenhort."

_Maybe…_Ventus shifted his feet. "Yeah, maybe"

_I don't want to think about him. I don't know if I miss him, because he changed into someone I hated._

_-It's kind of like that for me too.-_

For a while it looked like she was going to cry.

_I don't know what to say._

Roxas didn't answer, but Ventus could feel his anger towards Xenhort rising.

If it hadn't been for Xenhort, then his friend would still be with them. If it wasn't for Xenhort, He wouldn't have been stolen from his home and family. But if it hadn't been for him…would Aqua and Terra even have existed in the first place? And what was his cohort planning now?

"I hate him," Ventus whispered, clenching his fists.

Aqua glanced at him, surprised.

"I won't let that man touch my friends again."

They stayed in silence for a moment before Aqua took her armor and muttered, "let's go."

* * *

**A/N: **So...I don't actually have anything to say this time...Thanks for reading/reviewing! :D


	33. Years Ago

Chapter 17:

Years Ago…

"Hello?" Ventus called out, wondering why no one answered the door to his house, and why it wasn't locked.

An eerie silence filled the halls.

"Maybe they just don't lock their doors here, some communities are like that," Aqua offered after exploring the house and meeting back in the front room.

"Maybe…" he shook his head, "I'm just getting a weird feeling about this." Ventus walked back into the dinning room, re-scanning it. He wasn't sure what he was searching for, he knew he should have just waited until they returned, but he was feeling restless.

Aqua followed him into the dinning room and glance out the window, "oh, well there's Cloud-!"

All of a sudden the back doors flew open and Sora crashed into the dinning table. He pushed himself up of the table and shook himself off. Sora cast Ventus and Aqua a sideways glance. "What are you looking at?"

"Uh, well," Ventus stuttered, taken aback by his brother's hostility. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Sora waved his hand impatiently towards the door, "I'm just training."

"That's not what I-" Ventus started but Aqua shushed him with a flick of her eyes in his direction.

Sora shrugged and raced out into the back yard. Ventus and Aqua followed him out to find Kairi helping Miku in the garden and Riku practicing swings. Sora charged Cloud, holding his Keyblade at waist level. With one step backwards from Cloud, Sora when crashing into the trees just to the left of Cloud.

"You're not focusing."

"What do you know what I'm not!" Sora shouted and swung at his master, each swipe being blocked every time.

Ventus glanced away from his brother and started towards Miku and Kairi. Miku glanced up at him and Aqua. "You two are home early," she said, shielding the sun from her eyes.

"Well there's something we heard about, and we wanted to ask you a few things." Ventus started. "It could be very important." Upon hearing this, Sora, Cloud and Riku glanced over to listen.

"What do you need to know?"

"We ran into Nemyer and he said that he and Xenhort created the Land of Departure based off of the Destiny islands-"

"-Which is possible because Ansem and Namine created a world for Roxas to grow until he was ready to return to Sora, based completely off of Twilight Town," Aqua cut in.

"Yeah, but the thing is, the Land of Departure and the Destiny Islands are really different," Ventus explained. "So we were wondering if maybe it had been like that once."

"I don't know what this 'Land of Departure' is like," Miku started after a long pause, "but before you were born these islands were very different."

"Is this before the worlds split?" Riku asked.

"Yes."

By this time everyone was leaning in, wanting to hear. "I think it would be very important to know what happened so that we can figure out what Nemyer is trying to accomplish," Ventus explained.

Miku sighed. "Alright. Back when the worlds were connected, every nation not only had a royal line but a Keyblade Master to protect that nation and that line. Ventus, when you were born Skye, your father, and I, as well as Terra, Riku's father, and Nemyer were all training under Xenhort to become the Destiny Islands Keyblade Master...

_-Flash Back-_

"Miku, Master is here to see Ventus!" Skye called from the entryway of their home only to be shushed by Miku a second later.

"He's sleeping," she whispered.

"Oh, okay, I'll tell Master to be quiet." Skye turned and ushered Xenhort inside, showed him around and then brought him over to the nursery.

Xenhort looked down at the little sleeping baby boy. Ventus was the son of two Keyblade Masters-in-training, already the people on the islands believed that he would become an apprentice as well. It wasn't any surprise that Xenhort chose him after the visit.

What did surprise the islanders was that the boy went missing a day later.

_-End Flash Back-_

"That was Xenhort's doing though, so why did he have to kidnap me if he could have trained me regardless?" Ventus thought out loud.

"Looking back now, he probably already had his plans in place for the making of the X-blade, why he saw you as the perfect candidate, I don't know." Miku explained.

"I know that he was looking for someone specific, he kept talking about a prophecy. When Sora was born he wondered if Sora might be the real person in the prophecy rather then me."

Riku, Sora and Kairi glanced at each other excitedly. "Did the prophecy go something like 'when land becomes lands and the Darkness grows strong, hearts will not waver. The Sky boy and his companion of darkness will rise from the waters and bring everything as one?'"

"I never heard it," Ventus explained.

"It sounds like that could work for the both of you because both of your names mean 'sky,'" Aqua started, "and your from the Destiny Islands, which is on water."

"Yeah, we already figured that part out." Sora snapped. "Can we get back to the story?"

"Right," Miku took a seat in the grass, "this will be long so you might want to sit down." She waited for everyone to get situated before starting again. "For four whole years we didn't know that Ventus had been kidnapped by Xenhort and the only reason we found out was because of the birth of Nemyer's first child. This was a very important event because his wife just so happened to be the last of the Island's royal line."

_-Flash Back-_

"He-ey!" Skye hit Nemyer in the shoulder after practice, "you must be excited!"

"You ask him that every day, honey." Miku sighed, "you're not going to get a different answer." Nemyer and Terrs laughed.

"Actually," Terra cleared his throat, "You should be asking me that."

"What? No way, Terra, you're having a kid?" Skye gaped.

"So many births lately." Miku said with a smile.

"And yet none of my apprentices have passed." Xenhort came up from behind them. "All married and with children and not one of you have relieved me of my position, I thought I would be able to retire ages ago!"

Nemyer glanced away. Everyone knew that what their Master had said wasn't true. Nemyer had passed the test, but being that he was the King he couldn't become the Keyblade Master. The only reason he still came to practice was because he idolized Master Xenhort and he wanted to be able to spend more time with his friends.

"We should celebrate!" Skyye exclaimed.

"Celebrate our failure...?" Terra said sarcastically.

"To our new fathers!" Skye exclaimed again, grabbing Terra and Nemyer's wrists and trusting them into the air.

Just then a messenger boy came bursting in the doors. "My Lord!" He gasped, "the Queen's in labor!"

* * *

"I know something's wrong," Skye paced back and forth in their kitchen, "I just know it."

"It is weird-"

"I know! Like why won't they let anyone see Namine? I mean, what could it hurt, people are supposed to show off their babies, right?"

Miku watched Skye's pained face. "Do you think that..."

"I hope not," Skye sighed, "I really hope what happened with Ventus didn't happen to them."

The two stayed silent until Skye finally spoke again, "I'm going to figure it out myself."

Once Skye set himself to do something, nothing would stop him. He was far to stubborn, or in some cases, too stupid. In this case he grabbed Terra and set off to find out what was going on.

In was a black night and the lights from Nemyer's hilltop home illuminated the grass. "You can't go in there," one of the servants said at the entrance to his house.

"Why not?" Skye asked.

"I don't know but both Nemyer and Xenhort told me not to let anyone enter," the servant explained.

"Oh," Terra exaggerated his act of understanding, "Sorry, Master Xenhort told us that we should come, to learn some new Keyblade Master duties, but no one else but us apprentices are allowed in." Skye smiled and nodded, this was the reason he brought his friend.

"Oh, okay." The servant showed the two inside while explaining that all the other staff had been sent home.

"They must not want anyone to know what's going on..." Skye thought out loud.

"Whatever's going on." Terra muttered, glancing into the doorways they passed. "Aha, the cellar!" He pointed to the cellar door that was hanging open. Skye and Terra crept towards it and listened in.

"Are you sure that this is a good idea Master?" They heard Nemyer's voice, shaky and nervous.

"It's the only way, Nemyer. Otherwise the Darkness will spread through our land like a virus." Xenhort. What was going on? Skye peered in and spotted the queen passed out on the floor and Namine sleeping on a slightly raised platform in the middle of the room.

"Okay...what do I have to do?" Nemyer again.

Skye tucked back away from the crack in the door."Darkness like a virus?" He mouthed.

Terra shrugged. "But it sounds familiar," he mouthed back.

Once Xenhort began explaining the process to Nemyer it became clear. "You have to unlock her heart and fill it with fire to burn away the Darkness inside."

"She was born a witch?" Terra whispered to Skye.

"But that's a ritual that's severe on full grown adults, let alone a newborn baby!" Skye whispered back. "We can't let him do this."

Skye and Terra started into the cellar only to be pushed back by Master Xenhort. Nemyer glanced over at them but Xenhort shouted back, "This is for he good of your nation and your daughter!"

_-End Flash Back- _

"Namine's body was destroyed, as well as the spirit of the islanders."

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay and the rushed-ness of this chap


	34. Split

**Chapter 18**

**Split**

"You monster!" Terra summoned his Keyblade and pushed Xenhort out of his way. He stalked towards Nemyer and grabbed him by the collar. "Where did she go? What did you do?"

Nemyer was shaking. He glanced over to Xenhort. "Master...?"

"No need to worry," Xenhort brushed himself off and slowly edged himself around the room to get closer to Nemyer and Terra. "She's not dead, her body simply couldn't handle the strain. She'll simply be reborn elsewhere as a Nobody."

"How are you being so calm about this!" Terra shouted, letting go of Nemyer and turning on Xenhort. "Becoming a Nobody isn't exactly reversible."

"It is completely reversible." Xenhort softly raised his hands in defense. Nemyer watched his Master anxiously.

"Oh, yeah, like Kingdom Hearts is just going to magically come now," Terra spat.

"There's another way other than the grace of Kingdom Hearts. You, Terra, of all people should know that."

Skye couldn't believe his ears. "You're the one-!" His voice caught in his throat and he swallowed to calm himself down. "You're the one," Skye's voice was quiet, almost a whisper, "who showed us the danger of the Darkness. You're the one that helped me help Terra out of the Darkness."

"Terra simply wasn't ready back then-"

"The Darkness is what we are supposed to be fighting!" Terra shouted. "We can't just turn to it now!"

"There's no need to be jealous that Nemyer is more talented than-" Xenhort was cut off by Skye summoning his Keyblade and charging towards him.

Nemyer met Skye's blade with his own. "Let him speak!" He pushed Skye back. "What if he could save my daughter?"

"He's the one that made you lose her in the first place!" Terra charged towards them but Xenhort grabbed a hold of Nemyer and melted the two of them into the Darkness.

Skye and Terra darted out of Nemyer's home and spotted the two of them at the base of the hill, though it was hard to tell against the night sky. They ran down the hill only to stumble as the earth groaned beneath them. All of a sudden the whole island shook, filling the night air with cries from the islanders and moans of the earth shifting underneath.

"What are you doing?" Terra shouted, catching up to Xenhort and Nemyer.

Xenhort's gaze was turned to the sky. "I had only theorized..." he muttered softly to himself.

"Theorized what?" Terra's voice could barely be heard over the sound.

"When a Keyblade is used for such a dark act," his gaze never left the heavens, "the world will be thrown into chaos." He finally glanced at Nemyer. "And Kingdom Hearts will reject the user's heart."

Nemyer glanced down at the Keyblade in his hand, it was slowly beginning to fade.

"So you had him do that to test a theory?" By now some of the islanders had stumbled out of their homes to see what was going on. "Who _are_ you?" Terra's anger seemed to radiate from him.

"You're assuming the worst, Terra." Xenhort spoke calmly. "I'm simply doing my duties-"

"To hell with your 'duties!'" Terra swung at him, only to have Nemyer intervene again. "Get out of my way!"

"He's the only one who knows how to bring her back!" Nemyer shouted, pushing Terra back.

The earth slipped under his feet and Terra stumbled back. Skye caught him but Terra only used him for support for a moment. He swung again and again at Nemyer, only to have each strike blocked. "But it's his fault!" Terra caught Nemyer's arm and twisted it so that he couldn't use his blade.

"I don't care!" Nemyer shouted and ducked, pulling Terra over him and went to strike again. Terra slipped on the moving earth, losing his balance. He couldn't dodge Nemyer's blade. Just before Nemyer's Keyblade faded out of existence, it was thrust through Terra's chest.

"Terra!" Skye fell to his knees, catching his friend's limp body. "Terra!"

Xenhort grabbed hold of Nemyer's wrist and started towards the docks to his ship.

Skye left Terra's body to the islanders that stood, helplessly watching. He ran after them making it to the edge of the dock when a light came from the sky and split the waters before him. The light split between him and Xenhort's ship, floating a little ways out.

Skye could see them clearly through the light, Xenhort, Nemyer, and a small boy that look a lot like him.

A chasm was formed and expanded, separating the world.

* * *

A week later Itsumoro, Nemyer's wife, finally woke up and explained it more detail what happened before he had sedated her stop her from intervening in the procedure. It was another week later that she realized that she was pregnant again. It took half a year for the islanders to figure out how to leave the Destiny Islands and it wasn't until Skye left to track down the Island's Keyblade Master and their King that Miku found out she was pregnant again also. Itsumoro died in childbirth and Nemyer snuck back to the islands to claim his daughter. With the only Keyblade user left on the island pregnant no one had the power to stop him. Skye never came back.

-_End Flash Back-_

For a long while everyone was silent. "So what was Xenhort trying to do?" Riku finally asked.

"He wanted someway to put his plan in motion, to make Kingdom Hearts in Darkness rather than light." Ventus started, "the other way to bring back Nobodies, and I learned this from him, is to form the worlds in Darkness or in that case world. If he were to have succeeded then all the worlds would have been consumed by Darkness and then connected once again in that way."

"Which is why I went around unconnecting and purging the Darkness, so that we could reconnect them in light?" Sora thought out loud, more focused than he had been in days.

"Okay, but then why would he have to create the Destiny Islands as the Land of Departure?" Riku asked.

The question hung in the air, unanswered and daunting. No one had an answer.

"Maybe a meal and a good night sleep will help us mull it over," Miku offered.

Ventus laid down to sleep and closed his eyes.

_-"Ventus, I think I know why."-_

_Roxas?_

_-"Listen, I have an Idea, it has to do with the prophecy and t will make everything make sense."-_

* * *

**A/N:** Two chaps in a row!^^

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! :D_  
_


	35. Roxas 405 Hope

**Roxas 405**

**Hope**

I found a way to make it work.

I know how Namine and I can have our own bodies again.

I explained everything to Ventus and now he's going to explain it to everyone else tomorrow. I'm so excited. Finally, we have the chance to live again.

* * *

**A/N: **I might be able to get another chapter up today, and maybe another tomorrow or the next day if I'm lucky. I'm trying to make up for all my many delays while writing this. :D Thanks for reading and reviewing and all that good stuff! :D


	36. Kingdom Hearts

**Chapter 19:**

**Kingdom Hearts**

"Aqua, guys what?" Ventus sat up from where he had been sleeping on the floor. He had given Aqua his bed to sleep in for the night in his place.

"It's only seven in the morning Ven, I really don't care," Aqua muttered, pulling the sheets over her head.

"Would you care if I told you that Roxas explained to me what the prophecy means and how it relates to?"

Aqua poked her head out of her blanket. "Really? Wait…you can talk to Roxas? I though he was you?"

Ventus rolled his eyes. "That's what you care about?"

Aqua shrugged. "Hey, it's early."

"How long do you think until everyone wakes up?" Ventus was so excited he was practically bouncing up and down. It had more to do with Roxas's excitement than his own, but he accepted in either way.

"You're more peppy than usual." Aqua noted, staring just past him in a sleepy daze.

"Yeah, it's because of Roxas." Ventus noticed her confusion and started to explain. "It's like I can feel his emotions and hear his thoughts, but they're separate from my own."

"I'm going to tell everyone that you have Multi-Personality Disorder," Aqua laughed. Ventus frowned. She stretched and sat up, patting Ventus on the head. "Nah, I believe you, Ven."

* * *

An hour later Sora, Miku and Cloud had finally converged on the dinning room for breakfast. After the all sat down, Ventus stood up. "Everyone," he glanced down at Aqua for a second, "I have an announcement to make."

"You and Aqua are getting married?" Sora asked.

Aqua nearly spit out a mouthful of cereal. "What?"

"Sora!" Miku snapped.

Ventus looked completely dumbfounded. "Uh, no, that's not what I was going to say."

"I just thought, because you were…never mind." Sora mumbled.

"Okay, well anyway," Ventus cleared his throat, "last night Roxas explained to me what the prophecy meant and why the Land of Departure was created." Everyone quieted down and leaned in to listen. "The first part: when land becomes lands and the Darkness grows strong, hearts will not waver. That of course means that the world split into worlds, which we already know and that even though things seem bad we will get through it.

"The next part: the Sky boy and his companion of darkness will rise from the waters and bring everything as one. It says that these two will put the worlds back together again. So the sky boy comes from waters, think about it our father's name was Skye and mom's name means water. That means that it has to be either Sora or I.

"But then who is the companion of darkness, I thought that if the sky boy was me then the companion of darkness would be Terra, but Terra is dead so it can't be him. Roxas said that he thought that if Sora was the sky boy then the other would be Riku. Here's where thing start to get interesting. The prophecy stats that both rise from the waters, or in other words, would be our kin. Neither Sora or I could qualify as the companion of darkness. Roxas has the same blood as us, and is a Nobody, a creature of Darkness.

"Roxas believes that if he were able to come in contact with Kingdom Hearts, not that my heart and my body are one again, then his body would be restored, just like what our ancestors were talking about in the story Mom told yesterday, how Namine could be given a body again if she came in contact with Kingdom Hearts."

"But how do we get to Kingdom Hearts?" Sora asked.

Ventus smiled. "Kingdom Hearts is in this very room." He let the thought sink in before continuing. "Think about it. Sora was able to hold my heart within his and then he was able to hold my Nobody within his heart as well."

"Kingdom Hearts is supposed to be able to turn Nobodies back into their original state, Sora has done that. The only reason Roxas is still here is because my body was still alive when he returned to me, most Nobodies lose their original bodies."

"That actually makes sense." Aqua nodded in understanding. "But what does that have to do with the Land of Departure?"

"Yeah, this is where it gets kind of weird," Ventus laughed awkwardly. "I needed to have a place where I could recover and so what better place than home? The thing was I couldn't go back home, so the recreated home, only it was it's past that was recreated. That way, if for whatever reason, if things didn't work out with Sora or I, they could still have the chance of redoing things…have you ever noticed that both Sora and my name's mean sky and both Kairi and Aqua's names mean water?"

An awkward silence filled the room.

"So you two are getting married!" Sora joked. Ventus and Aqua blushed.

"Now that you know all of this," Cloud spoke up for the first time since Ventus came home, "What are you going to do?"

"Once Sora is back to normal, we should try Awakening Roxas through Sora so that Roxas and I can form the X-Blade and-"

"Wait wait wait!" Aqua interrupted him. "The X-Blade? The last time anyone tried to create one, you lost your heart."

"That was a forced creation, the Darkness holding too much power and so therefore it wasn't going to work. Xenhort needed the X-Blade so that he could connect the worlds in darkness," Ventus explained, "We need it so that we can connect them with the light."

After a while Aqua sighed, "Alright, alright."

"So then meanwhile when Roxas and I are doing that, Sora can give Namine her own body back." Ventus concluded.

"I'll send a message to the King," Cloud started to get up, "we can work on it once he writes back."

* * *

**A/N:** I hope everything finally makes sense. I think it does, but then again I made up this story, so I really don't know. Anyway, please tell me what you think! Thanks for reading! :D


	37. Heart So Strong

**Chapter 20:**

**Heart So Strong**

By the time Sora, Riku and Kairi came back to the house after school, Ventus and Aqua were already making plans for where they would go next to strengthen his heart. Sora had, of course, told them about the plan.

"So you're Kingdom Hearts, huh?" Kairi asked as they sat down for supper.

"Yeah, pretty cool, right?" Sora tried acting cool and Kairi laughed.

"I was so sure that it would've had something to do with Sora and I," Riku couldn't seem to get over that fact.

"Where are the two of you going tomorrow?" Miku asked Ventus and Aqua, changing the subject.

"We're headed out towards Agrabah," Ventus started, "and then maybe London."

"They're both good places for finding out information, so that we can find out where the Heartless are causing problems," Aqua explained.

"Is there anything we should do?" Riku asked.

Ventus shrugged. "Protect Sora."

"I don't need protection," Sora snapped.

Cloud cleared his throat. "I have to go back to Radiant Garden for a while, so..."

"Yes," Miku finished for him, "You do need protection."

Sora started pouting until Riku hit him in the arm. "Hey, that's great!" Riku exclaimed, "this means I get to stay over right?"

"And Kairi can too," Miku answered.

* * *

Cloud left after dinner, and the rest got ready for bed. Sora still though it was weird that Ventus and Aqua were allowed to share a room, but Kairi couldn't sleep in his room. He was alone at the moment because Riku had to go home quick and pick up a few things.

Sora stared out the window, trying to feel happy about the fact that his friends got to sleep over, but could only find things to gripe about instead.

He was really starting to hate Nemyer. He wouldn't be feeling this way if it weren't for him. What was even the point in doing this anyway? It was stupid. "How could such a stupid man be Kairi's father…?" Sora trailed off, spotting a cloaked figure standing in the yard below. The figure seemed to stare up at him before turning away into a shroud of darkness.

Sora gasped, realizing the figure as an enemy. He turned to go tell the others only to find the same cloaked figure appearing out of the corner of his room.

"Good evening Sora," That voice was familiar. The figure pulled off his hood, revealing a head of red hair.

_Nemyer._ Sora crouched and held his hands out as if to summon his key blade, but nothing happened. "What the…?"

"Don't worry Sora, you'll have you're key blade back in no time," Nemyer spoke softly, "it's a temporary side effect of your emotional change. Your alignment with the Light isn't compatible with the new emotions. Join me and the Darkness will give you your strength back."

Sora clenched his hands into fists and glared at him. "I'd never give up my heart to the Darkness!" Although he had no real experience in fist-fighting…especially when against someone wielding blades, but he was willing to try.

"Then I'll have to force you to come!" He drew his blades and started towards him.

Sora ducked and rolled out of the way, coming around to the other side of him. He inched towards the door as Nemyer turned around. The man swung at him, still close enough to hit his mark in the small room hit his mark wasn't a boy scrambling away for his life. Sora just barely jumped out of the way, crashing into his lamp.

Before he had the chance to get up, Nemyer was on him bringing his blades down over him. Time seemed to stop. Sora knew there was nothing he could do. He closed his eyes and covered his head with his hands.

* * *

Sora stood on his pillar. Red glowed from it, almost completely covering the stained glass it once was. He felt weak, unable to stop the last few shards from being engulfed by the color.

He didn't want it to change. He knew what it meant. He would give his heart up to the darkness.

"No!" Sora shouted. He was Kingdom Hearts! He couldn't let everyone down and let this happen. If the darkness took over his heart, then they would lose everything. "I'm not giving up!"

A light burst from within him, clearing away the red and restoring the gaps in his pillar.

* * *

Sora's Keyblade hit Nemyer's blades with a loud resounding metallic clang. It forced the man back and gave Sora time to get to his feet.

Just then Ventus and Aqua burst into the room. They looked surprised upon seeing Nemyer but quickly summoned their Keyblades.

"We heard a crash," Aqua explained, "and worried that something might have happened."

"And we were right!" Ventus shouted, charging at Nemyer with full force. He knocked the man back, slamming him against the back wall.

By this time Riku, Kairi and Miku had all ran in to see what the commotion was.

Nemyer glanced around, knowing he couldn't take on five Keyblade users. His gaze fell on Kairi and softened. "Kairi," He whispered, "you must know that all of this is for you and your sister."

The next second he disappeared in a shroud of Darkness.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading and reviewing! :D


	38. Roxas 406 Going Back

**Roxas 406**

**Going Back**

Last night brought wonderful news. It all started when Ventus and Aqua heard some loud crashes from Sora's room, who were only awake because they were talking about were they wanted to go next. We worried that he might have gotten into a fight with Riku or something. It turned out that Nemyer attacked him in the middle of the night! Yeah, like attacking a household full of key blade users is a great idea. Smart move, Nemyer.

The good news about this is that Sora somehow purged himself of the evil whatevers that were taking over him.

This means that things can finally start moving again.

It also means that I will be returned to him. I like Ventus and all, but I'm more used to Sora and I'm happy to be going back. I'll be able to talk to Namine then too, which will be awesome.

Finally, I'm going back to Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for Reading and Reviewing! :D


	39. Getting Stronger

**Chapter 21:**

**Getting Stronger**

Ventus and Sora stood in the backyard, facing the other. "So, what do we do next, Aqua?" Sora asked. They were going to return Roxas to Sora.

Aqua moved between the two. "Alright, place your Keyblades in the ground before you," she paused to give them time to follow her instructions, "then give me your hands - keep one on your heart, the other to me." She took their hands and place one over the other, muttering a few words.

Sora though it was really cool that Aqua could do this. He wondered if he would ever be able to do it if he became a Keyblade Master.

Soon her voice seemed to grow farther and farther away as the morning light faded into black.

* * *

"Sora!" Sora opened his eyes to see Ventus waving at him, standing on his own pillar a ways away.

Ventus held out his arms and closed his eyes. Roxas's form fazed out of him and stood before the man. "Thanks," he said before turning and running across the empty space towards Sora.

"Welcome back!" Sora laughed, embracing Roxas.

"It's good to be back."

Roxas faded into Sora.

* * *

"So?" Riku poked Sora. "did it work?"

"Yeah, of course it did," Ventus answered for him. "Anyway, Aqua and I are going to head out now."

"We'll check in every once it a while," Aqua explained, "just make sure to tell us when the time comes to awaken Roxas."

"You bet!" Sora exclaimed.

They watched the two leave.

"I think I'll go meet up with Cloud in Radiant Garden, it would be faster than waiting for him to come back." Sora decided.

"Yeah and then I can go back to Kratos for a while."

"I'm being left behind again," Kairi sighed.

"Only for a little while!" Sora said, trying to make her feel better about it. "Anyway, it'll be boring with me, non stop training is coming my way!"

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry...I got really lazy with this chapter :/ I know it sucks**  
**


	40. Roxas 407 Time

**Roxas 407:**

**Time**

It's finally time. After six months, everyone has grown so much.

Sora has trained with Cloud through sword-training and delivery missions. Cloud has an interesting job and Sora seemed to enjoy traveling with him as well as being a part of the family when staying at Tifa's bar. I think he's learned enough to possibly Keyblade Master.

He met back up with the others today, their stories were all interesting too.

Riku trained with Kratos, helping his master search for his son. This was very good for him, for training his emotions as well as his strength.

Ventus and Aqua have been hunting down Heartless. Man, I wish I was with Ven still, just so I could see how their relationship is going…not that they tell anyone anything, At least I hope something has happened there.

Miku and Kairi haven't changed, but the two have grown closer, almost like a mother and a daughter.

In a few moments I will become whole again thanks to the power of Kingom Hearts - Sora, and our Keyb lade master - Aqua.

It will be so nice to have my own body again!

* * *

**A/N:** and so this is the last Roxas Chap. ! :D


	41. The Plan

**Chapter 22:**

**The Plan**

"Hey, you ready Roxas?" Sora asked, placing his hand on his chest. He could feel the excitement bubbling within him, he didn't need to ask.

"Sora," Riku and Kairi caught up with him in the corridors of the King's Castle, "are you ready for your first act as Kingdom Hearts?"

Sora did a nervous chuckle. "I hope so!"

"It's all theory really." They could hear Aqua's voice from all the way down the hall, she sounded nervous too. "but if Roxas and Ventus are right, then it should work." She was going over with the King and Ansem, once again, the plan for the ceremony.

"She sounds stressed," Kairi said.

"That's because those old guys can't seem to follow a conversation," Ventus laughed, coming up from behind then. "How you feeling?" he asked, patting Sora on the back.

"Good!"

"It will be a bit different than with me because I had my body," Ventus explained, "but I don't think it will be too difficult."

"I still don't even know what to do."

The King led Aqua and Ansem out and motioned for Sora to follow.

"Good luck!"

"Thanks!"

They followed King Mickey towards and old ceremonial cathedral. There, the runes and circles were already crafted on the floor. There was a big circle intertwined with two smaller ones. Aqua instructed him to stand on the small circle while she took to the large one.

"Sora raise your key blade horizontally before you and focus on Roxas' soul," Aqua instructed. Sora did so, closing his eyes to focus harder on Roxas. He ignored the rest of her words, the words of the spell and focused as hard as he could.

After a while he could feel Roxas slipping away.

For a moment Sora panicked, what if he couldn't get a body, what if he couldn't come back?

_No. He'll finally be free. He'll finally have his own life._

Soon Roxas was gone. Sora could not feel him at all.

_This will work. Please, this has to work!_

When he finally opened his eyes, his vision was hazy. He could see Aqua turned away from him and just beyond…

"Roxas!"

But the blonde boy could not respond, he collapsed. Sora and Aqua ran to his side.

"He'll be fine," Aqua muttered, "just needs some rest."

* * *

A few days later Roxas woke up. "Hey, it worked." He mumbled, still groggy.

"Yeah," Sora smiled.

"Then," Roxas continued, "we have to do this for Namine too."

"Wait." Ansem protested. "We should start fixing up the worlds first. It's more important."

"Why can't we do both?" Sora asked, "It would be a great way to build up Heart for Namine."

"Good idea!" The King agreed.

"It's settled." Ventus smiled. "Tomorrow the real fun starts."

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading! :D


	42. Powerless

**Chapter 23:**

**Powerless**

"That should do it!" Ventus released his hold on his side of the x-blade, leaving Roxas's blade to revert back into one of his regular keyblades. Ventus still thought it was weird here and there when looking at Roxas, it was almost as if he were seeing a younger version of himself.

"Man, this is so much easier than I thought," Sora laughed. They had just finished connecting Radiant Garden to the others, the tenth they had finished already in only two weeks.

"I hope were not just getting lucky," Aqua muttered. So far, their hadn't been a single hitch.

"Were are we going now?" Riku yawned from where he sat. There wasn't much that he could do on this adventure, he came so that he could protect Sora if anything happened, but nothing had happened.

"Hyrule…and then Termina, right?" Roxas glanced at Aqua.

"Right."

They headed back to they gummi ship and started off towards Hyrule. Sora, Roxas and Riku were lounging in the control room. "And those two disappear again," Riku muttered.

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"Haven't you noticed that whenever they get the chance, Ven and Aqua run off somewhere?"

"Well, yeah, they're good friends and so," Riku rolled his eyes at Sora, "Ooh, you mean you think they like each other?"

Roxas laughed, "Sora, are you blind? Anyway, I say we go spy on them." Roxas wanted to know, after being with them for a long while he knew how they felt but also knew that they were not doing anything about it.

"I don't know about that," Riku pointed at Sora, "Depending on the situation he may be too young."

"What?"

"He doesn't have to come,"

"I'm coming!"

"You two have fun then," Riku called after them as Roxas and Sora darted out of the room.

Roxas could hear voices from a nearby room, the door was open a crack and Roxas motioned Sora to follow him slowly.

"-Worry, you're a different person completely. You've lived your life and made yourself you." Ventus was saying.

"I just thought that you might think it's weird." Aqua replied.

They were talking about Aqua being created based off of his mom, Roxas could tell.

"It's not weird, and you're not weird," Ven reassured her.

"Let's go," Roxas whispered back to Sora.

* * *

By the time they landed in Hyrule it was the next day. The five started off in search of the world's keyhole. After searching all morning, they stopped to rest for lunch in town.

"I hear that fried Deku Baba plant are really good!" Sora exclaimed, running over to a stall in the market place.

"Oh, yeah!" Riku chased after him.

"Meet us outside town when you're done!" Aqua called.

"Okay!"

It turned out that fried baba plant were really good. They tasted nutty except with a juicy citrus coating.

"This is amazing!" Sora exclaimed.

"Mm-hmm."

The town had a nice feel to it. Everyone was moving, working, shopping, like a city but still a small town. Something caught Sora's eye and he glanced around.

"What?"

"I thought I saw someone we know," Sora mutter, still glancing through the crowd.

'Who?"

"I dunno," Sora answered, "I couldn't really see them."

By now the had made it out into the field outside of town. Sora sat down on a rock and Riku started pacing around. Suddenly Riku jerked his head in Sora's direction. "Watch out!"

Sora turned and lost his balance on the rock, falling off just in time to miss getting a sword to his face. Sora rolled over and stood up, barely catching glimpses of Riku coming at Nemyer.

Nemyer hooked his blade under Riku's and flung him to the side. Sora came at him as the man turned around, but Nemyer whipped his blade in a whirlwind motion. Sora just barely had the chance to catch his blade before he was knocked back in the stomach and thrown across the field.

"Fira!" He heard Riku call as he tried, dizzy, to stand up. Sora tried to move his right arm, but it had broke on the impact. Wincing, he finally brought himself to his feet and switched hands so that his key blade was in his left.

Nemyer nicked Riku in the shoulder, but in a split second Sora noticed that Nemyer's sword was outstretched upwards towards the sky.

"Thundara!"

The lightning attracted to the metal sword instantly but also instantaneously, Nemyer threw the blade away.

Nemyer kicked Riku away and charged at Sora but just as he got close enough to him, Sora cast Aero and pushed him away…Right into Riku.

Riku managed to cut Nemyer's arms before the man hit Riku in the head with the hilt of his sword.

He went down fast and Nemyer picked up his discarded sword.

He came at Sora in a flash, giving him only time to fall out of the way. From on the ground, Sora pointed his key blade up and Nemyer and cast Fira. Nemyer wobbled out of the way before leaning forward and stepping on Sora's left wrist, pinning him down.

"I thought you want me to join you?" Sora muttered.

"I only need you in Darkness, but the world can be plunged into Darkness without Kingdom Hearts."

Out of the corner of his eye, Sora could see Roxas running towards them, both of his key blades summoned.

Roxas swung his left blade into Nemyer's side, raising his other above his head to bring it down between Nemyer's neck and shoulder.

Nemyer stumbled to the ground next to Sora.

"I would try anything If I were you," Roxas started, "unless you're planning on killing Namine along with Sora."

"What?"

"Her soul lies within him, you moron!"

Nemyer's eyes widened before slipping though a darkness portal and disappearing.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading! :D


	43. Let's finish this!

**Chapter 24:**

**Let's finish this!**

"Sora, what are you doing?" Sora turned at the sound of Kairi's voice, dropping his left arm.

"Oh, I was just practicing my swing," Sora explained, "just in case I break my arm again." After the fight with Nemyer, Riku and Sora came back to the Destiny Islands to recover. Ventus, Aqua and Rozas continued their travels.

"Riku's jealous," Kairi said with a giggle, "he can't practice until his head wound gets better."

Sora had noticed something during the fight, Riku was a great fighter but it definitely wasn't his future. Ven, Aqua, and Roxas would all make great Keyblade Masters, but Riku…Sora knew that his friend wanted to protect him, but he also knew that he couldn't start over until he stopped.

"What's wrong?" Kairi asked, taking a seat on a Papou fruit tree. She patted the spot next to her.

Sora sat down. "I was just wondering what we'll all do when we've finished connecting the worlds."

"Aqua will probably go back to being Castle Oblivion's Keyblade Master…and maybe Ven will become ours."

"Naw, I mean like Riku, you and me." Sora watching the reflection of the sun ripple in the water. "They'll all do what they do…but what do we do?"

After a silence Kairi spoke. "Remember how this all started? How we wanted to see other worlds, or the rest of the world?"

"Yeah."

"We can do that, I still want to see the world with you." Kairi looked up at him and smiled.

A smile crept across Sora's face, then he laughed and smiled huge. "So let's go and finish this!"


	44. Namine

Sorry, this was supposed to be in the same chapter as the last one I just forgot _ my bad. So yeah, that's why these two chaps are so short.

* * *

**Chapter 25:**

**Namine**

All of a sudden Sora felt a light in his Heart. "Whoa," he exclaimed jumping up on his feet.

"What is it?"

"Namine…" Sora glanced over to Kairi, "She's ready to come out."

Kairi broke out into laughter, "You sound like an expectant mother!"

Sora laughed, "I guess. But we should go tell mom." He held out his hand to her, "Come on!"

"Coming," She took his hand and they headed back to the house. When they got there, Miku was helping Riku to the table.

"Hey guys!" Riku's eyes glued themselves to their hands interlocked. "Namine's Heart is ready."

"How does that work?" Miku asked.

"I don't know," Sora shrugged, "we were just talking and then…poof!"

"Well, I'll send a message to Ven."

* * *

It was hard to focus with Roxas jumping up to get a look at the ceremony from an outside window. Sora understood why he was excited but…

"Roxas!" Aqua snapped, breaking the spell. "Stop doing that and wait in the other room like everyone else!"

Ventus snickered at Roxas as he dropped down from the window and slumped over to sit with him. Ventus patted him on the back. "No worries, Aqua and Sora know what they're doing." he reassured him, "What you should have worried about was when they did this with you, because they had no clue!"

Roxas swung his feet. "Namine's more important."

"So it's a good thing she's second, I mean you're lucky to be alive!"

"I suppose…"

This time only Ventus and Roxas were there waiting, Riku was still resting at the islands. Ventus could tell that Roxas was still a little on the edge. "I spy something white," Ventus muttered.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "The floor."

"Right! Your turn!"

"I spy…" Roxas glanced around the room just as Aqua came through the doors, carrying Namine. "Namine!" Roxas ran up to Aqua. "Is she all right?"

"You slept for a couple days after, she most likely will to," Aqua explained as she passed Namine over to Ventus.

Sora came through the doors, looking extremely exhausted. Roxas ran up and embraced him. "Thanks Sora!" He turned to Aqua, "Thanks to you too!"


	45. Final World

**Chapter 26:**

**Final World**

Roxas sat next to Namine's bed. "I wonder how we got so lucky…"

"Lucky?" Sora asked, resting in a bed next to them. Aqua sat at the edge of his bed and Ventus stood behind her.

"I made some friends in the Organization, and they never received this chance that Namine and I have." Roxas explained. "And now they can't, I'm they only survivor of the Organization."

"Like Terra, perhaps he could have been saved." Ventus muttered.

"We won't let anyone else suffer that fate," Aqua said, "That's our job, as Keyblade Masters."

"Uh,"

"Aqua, you're the only one," Ven whispered as if she was crazy.

"But you will be and anyway Ven," She flicked her gaze at him, "Isn't it about time you join me?"

"But who's going to give me my test?" Ventus said, avoiding her eyes.

"Either the King or me-"

"King Mickey it is!"

"You have something against me?"

Roxas laughed as the two rushed out of the room.

"Roxas?" Roxas turned back to Namine.

"Namine, you're awake!"

She smiled at him as he helped her sit up. "Finally," she whispered, "I'm alive again."

Sora scooted out of the room. He ended up following the loud sounds that were fading further down the hall.

"Why, because you'd kill me!" He heard Ventus say.

"I wouldn't do any such thing!"

"Actually, I'd love to give Ven his test." Sora turned the corner to see the King talking to Aqua and Ventus. "Sora, you too!"

"Am I ready for the test?" Sora asked.

"You're old enough," Aqua said. "I'm pretty sure that's the only requirement."

"Oh, but you can't be Destiny Islands's Keyblade Master," Ventus explained, "Partially, because I want to be, but also if you remember mom's story, Nemyer couldn't be the master because he was married to the queen."

"But I'm not marri- oh." Sora blushed and thought of Kairi, "well…okay."

"Get Roxas too, he should also take the test." The King instructed, "meet me in the throne room in an hour.

* * *

After practically dragging Roxas from Namine's side, the three of them met with the King.

"So, your test will be to complete connecting the worlds."

"But we were already going to do that!" Ventus protested.

"Because you are already ready," The King replied, "now, you don't have many left now do you?"

"Only one," Ventus muttered, "Nemyer's world."


	46. A little Brighter

Final chapter:

Starting Over

Ventus, Aqua, Namine, Roxas and Sora stood outside of Nemyer's mansion, where Sora had stood alone only a year before. Last time he came wanting answers, now he had them and was ready to act on them.

Now, they had a plan. Namine and Roxas were going to cover the courtyard and wait for the other's return. Since Nemyer's mansion had two paths splitting off from the grand staircase, they were originally going to send Aqua and Ventus one way and Riku and Sora another. Riku still hadn't recovered fully. Now Ventus would go one way and Sora the other, Aqua would stay at the staircase and once one of the gave the signal that the found him, she would go that way, followed by the other.

"You guys ready?" Sora asked.

"As we'll ever be," Roxas said and leapt off the building, "let's go!"

Sora jumped and was brought into a flurry of movement. On all the other worlds they encountered very little, if any, Heartless. Here, there were swarms of them.

"Break through the center and make space for Namine to cast spells!" Ventus shouted out commands that Sora could barely hear. "And Clear!"

Sora remembered the code. Simultaneously all five of them cast Aero, blowing away all the Heartless in a huge radius.

"We'll be good from here on!" Roxas gave them a thumbs up and they were off.

Ventus, Aqua and Sora cut there way to the front doors and pushed their way in. "Agh!" Ventus shouted, cringing at the contrast of the all white interior to the pitch black exterior. "Why is it so bright in here!"

Aqua laughed, "must be another line of defense."

"Well it's working," Ventus grumbled.

"Good luck you two," Aqua nodded to Sora and Ventus.

Sora started up the stairs, heading towards the right while Ventus veered to the left. Ven shot him a thumbs up and a smile and Sora returned it.

He turned down the corridor and began quickly scoping the rooms on either side. After going through all the rooms, he still hadn't found him nor had Ventus signaled that he found Nemyer either. He must have been on the back side of the building and so Sora turned down the hall in that direction.

He glanced out the window into the courtyard and saw where he fought Nemyer last time. He was not going to lose that badly again. He glanced up again to see that the lights went out further down the corridor. Getting a bad feeling about it, Sora slowed his pace and held onto his blade with both hands.

Sora heard some sort of explosion coming from that direction and soon saw bright flames shooting towards him. He leaned up against the window, the fire just grazing past him. Sora shot off the signal and hurried down the corridor to Nemyer. He couldn't see him, but he knew he was there.

A bright light flickered above his head before striking down over him. Sora just barely deflected the thunder with his keyblade, leaving himself wide open to a knee in the stomach. He gasped and leapt back, trying to catch any movement.

He caught a glint from Nemyer's blade and jerked back, getting nicked in the cheek. Sora swung out, catching loose fabric from Nemyer's cloak and tearing it. Quickly, he jumped back in anticipation for a retaliation. He shot out two blasts of fire at him and in the light he saw Ventus turning down the hallway behind Nemyer.

Ventus raised his keyblade and Sora ducked. He felt a wave of heat over him and raised his head to see Nemyer stumbling forward, smoke coming up from his back.

Sora and Ventus both swung at him. Nemyer couldn't block both of them in time and so he jumped out of the window instead.

Aqua came running up to them from behind Sora and followed them out the window to surround him. Normally Nemyer would retreat in a situation like this but now he didn't have anywhere to retreat to.

"I knew this was going to happen," Nemyer muttered.

"You thought that the only way to bring her back was to plunge the world in the Darkness that you left her in, but all you really needed to do was wait, because she is back now," Sora spoke.

"That's great and all, but nothing can change the past." Nemyer struggled to keep himself up, the burn wound on his back was severe. "I made my bed, now I must lay in it." He closed his eyes and let himself drift into Darkness and disappeared.

A keyhole formed in the sky above them and it wasn't long before Roxas and Namine caught up with them. "After a while the Heartless stopped multiplying and then it was easy to take care of them." Roxas explained.

Soon, the world was connected to the others and they made their way back to the King's castle.

* * *

Ventus became the Keyblade master of the Destiny Islands and worked with Aqua to help restore Castle Oblivion. Roxas became the keyblade master of Twilight Town, he and Namine fit in there better than the islands and the made many friends. Sora became the Keyblade Master of Radiant Garden and spent a lot of his time traveling to monitor trade routes while also keeping his promise to Kairi that he would see the world with her. It wasn't like everything would be perfect, Darkness would always be there, but with a new generation like this, the future seemed a little brighter.

* * *

**A/N:** So, it's finally done. My original Idea for this story is pretty much no longer recognizable in this mess. It was going to be an agsty romance drama...but somehow it ended up an fairly bad adventure summery end of series type of thing. One thing I've liked from writing this is learning I'm a huge AquaXVentus fan :D

Anyway, Thanks for sticking with me. I think for KH I'm far better off writing oneshots :D

Thanks again for reading and reviewing! :D


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